


Kathryn

by RiverEagle



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Army, F/M, Family Drama, Family Issues, Gen, International Rescue beginnings, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-05-29 10:23:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 87,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6371098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiverEagle/pseuds/RiverEagle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU:  This story is a what if story, where Jeff and Lucille Tracy have a daughter before having the five boys.  If you don’t like the ‘Tracy sister’ stories, don’t read this.  This is based off the movie.  I chose Kathryn’s name for the first USA woman astronaut in space to stick with the rest of the Tracy boys who were named after astronauts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Summer 2025

**_Summer 2025_ **

Kathryn Tracy looked over the gathered crowd of parents, relatives and student body.  She tried to keep her expression calm as she spotted her Uncle Andy sitting with her five brothers.  There was an empty seat beside Andrew and Kathryn felt her heart sink.  Taking a deep breath, she began her validation speech.  “Hello.  My name is Kathryn Tracy and I am the daughter of Jefferson and Lucille Tracy.  We all have different experiences along the pathway of life.  My road to this point has not been an easy one.  Just over eighteen months ago, my family lost my mother.  This last year and a half has taught me to go out of my way to help others out, and to defend those who are a little less fortunate than I am.  There are times when we are faced with adversity that we think we cannot make it.  I have had times like that this year.  Just remember to take things one step at a time and that we can get through things together and come out stronger.  We all have two hands, one we can reach out to help the person next to us and the other to reach out for help when we need it.”  Kathryn smiled slightly at the crowd but it didn’t reach her eyes.  “There is no strength in us if we stand alone.  We go forth from this place with a bright future ahead of us as long as we remember we are not alone.  Others have gone ahead of us and there will be others behind us.  We are the link between the two.”  She stepped back from the platform and gave a nod toward the class president who took her place at the podium.  The audience clapped as Kathryn returned to her seat.

“Thank you for those challenging words, Kathryn,” the class president said.  Kathryn tuned out the rest of the ceremony.  It didn’t matter to her that she got her diploma.  Or that she was involved with the ceremony.  She bit her lower lip to stop herself crying.  Her father hadn’t made it to her ceremony.  He was more invested in his company than in her.  She couldn’t really understand why he’d forget about it.

She felt a gentle squeeze on her shoulder and she turned to her best friend, Kylie.  “You did well.”  Kathryn gave her a slight smile.  The two of them had been chosen to be valedictorians and Kathryn had chosen to go last.

“Thank you,” Kathryn mouthed.

It wasn’t long before Kathryn joined her classmates and received their diplomas.  Her family stood to clap her when it was her go.

After the ceremony, she joined her uncle and brothers.  Andrew pulled his niece into a hug.  “You did well, kiddo.  Your mom would be proud.”

Kathryn returned the hug before pulling back.  She wasn’t overly affectionate when it came to hugs and things.  “Thanks Uncle Andy.”  She smiled at each of her brothers and her smile turned into a grin when Alan pulled on her dress.  Crouching down to the nearly five-year-old’s level; she let him plant a slobbery kiss on her cheek.  Alan giggled and scooted behind the safety of Andrew’s legs.  “Oh, you’re not getting away with that,” she teased as her other brothers joined in with the laughter.  She stood and pretended to chase Alan around Andrew before scooping him up and tickling him.  Her entire family was laughing at their antics.

“Miss Tracy,” Principal Johnson called, joining the family gathering.  Kathryn put her brother down and turned to the headmaster.

“Good evening, Mr Johnson.”

“Your family would be proud of your achievements at this school, especially the work you have done in the last year and a half.  I’m sorry that it came at such a cost.”

Andrew gave a nod in reply.  “We are very proud of our girl.”  When the principal turned in askance at Andrew, the man held out his hand.  “I’m Andrew Graham, Kathryn’s uncle.”  The principal shook the offered hand and then looked around the rest of the Tracys.

Kathryn smiled and introduced her brothers.  “These are my brothers, Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon and Alan.  Dad couldn’t make it tonight.”

The principal nodded but didn’t ask what could’ve kept Jeff from attending the ceremony that night.  Kathryn wouldn’t say and neither would Andrew.  “Well, I wish you luck for your future.  I agree that we can be stronger if we work together.”

“Thank you, Mr Johnson.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Andrew helped Kathryn make sure all her brothers got to bed as soon as they got home.  After all, it was a long evening and they didn’t get home until 9:30.  Alan had fallen asleep in the car and Gordon was close to sleep.  Kathryn had carried Alan in (he was far heavier than he looked) while Andrew bundled up the other boys and directed them inside.

It didn’t take the two of them very long to get everyone in and into bed.  Andrew planted a kiss on his niece’s forehead.  “You did well tonight.  I’m sure your dad would be proud of you.”

“Then where was he, Uncle Andy?  Why didn’t he come?”

“I don’t know kiddo.  He must miss your mom heaps.”

“But we all miss her.  Alan won’t even remember her.”

“Then make sure he does know her.  Tell him about Luce when you get the chance, and when he can appreciate it.”  Kathryn nodded and Andrew slung an arm around her shoulders.  “Katie, will you be alright on your own?”

She nodded again.  “Dad should be home soon.  And I have my brothers here if anything happens.”

“Alright, goodnight.  I’ll see you during the weekend, to help with the little terror’s birthday.”

“Alan’s not a terror.  Good night, Uncle Andy.”  Once Andrew had gone, Kathryn changed into her pyjamas and wandered downstairs to watch a little TV until Jeff arrived home.  She had just finished watching a program when she heard a key in the lock.  Looking up at the clock, she noticed that the time was 10:30.

Jeff made his way into the lounge when he saw the light on and heard the TV.  Taking off his sport jacket, he asked, “What are you still doing up?  Don’t you have school tomorrow?”  He didn’t want to show the pain he felt as he had first thought Kathryn had been his Lucy.  There had been many times over the past eighteen months that he’d arrived home and had briefly mistaken Kathryn for Lucy.  Although Kathryn had inherited her maternal grandmother’s hair, she still carried a strong resemblance to her mother.  There were parts of her that he could see she had picked up from him, but her temper was definitely her mother’s.

“Where were you?” she asked, ignoring the jibe about her normal retiring time of 9:30pm.

“I had to work.”

“Do you realize what day it is?”

“It’s Monday.”

Kathryn nodded and stood, turning off the TV as she did.  “Yeah, it’s Monday,” she agreed sarcastically.  “I better go to bed so I’m ‘refreshed’ for school tomorrow.  You know the school I just graduated from?”  She pushed passed him to head upstairs.

Jeff held back a moan.  “That was today?”

“Like you pay attention to anything I say any more.”  Kathryn stopped halfway up the stairs and turned to look down at Jeff.  “You do remember Alan turns five on Sunday?”  When she saw her father swallow and only briefly met her gaze, she knew he hadn’t remembered.  “Where’ve you been for the last year, Dad?  Don’t tell me work.  Uncle Andy’s been here more than you.  It’s like we lost both Mom and you for how often we actually see you.”  She took a step down with each sentence to carry her closer to her father.  “You hardly come home and when you do, you barely spend five minutes with us.  Who goes to sports practices or makes sure everyone is in bed on time?  Huh?  Not you, I can tell you.”  Kathryn poked her father’s chest.

Jeff batted her hand away.  “Don’t take that tone with me, young lady.”

Kathryn shook her head and pulled her wrist out of her father’s hand.  “I hate you.”  She turned and fled upstairs to her room.  Before she had turned, Jeff was shocked to see tears forming in his daughter’s hazel eyes.  He winced as he heard her door close loudly.  She hadn’t slammed it, thankfully, but she had closed it with some force.

He moved into the lounge and sank to the couch.  There were things littered around the room.  Little things that reminded him of Lucy and the fact she had once lived in the house.  Like the wooden whistle above the fireplace.  Or the crystal prism hanging from the light fixture overhead.  The pottery bowl Lucy had crafted in their first year of marriage sat on the coffee table she’d found at a garage sale not long after they were married.  She’d said that it had reminded her of the one her parents had had before they had died.  Jeff ran his hands over his face and moved from the room.  He shut the lights off and double checked to see if he’d locked the outside doors before heading to his own bed.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

“Right, do you want to help me roll these, Alan?” Kathryn asked.  It was Saturday and the oldest and youngest Tracy siblings were busy in the kitchen baking cookies.  The teen looked over to her kid brother and she smiled at the big grin on Alan’s face.  He really did remind her of a little cherub.  Not that he behaved like that all the time.  Oh, he could be downright bratty when he wanted to be.  Especially when it came to the TV.

“Can I really?”

“Hmm,” she drew out.  “Let’s have a look at your hands.”  Alan showed her his hands.  She pretended to have a close look at them before smiling at the four-year-old.  “They look good enough helping hands to me.  Come on up here.”  The two of them got busy rolling out the cookie dough and putting them on baking trays that they didn’t notice Andrew come in.  Their uncle had a camera with him and he snapped a picture of the two of them before they noticed he was there.

“Don’t mind me.  Those look delicious.”

“They’re not bake-ed yet, Unca Andy!” Alan said snagging a bit of dough into his mouth before Kathryn could stop him.  Before Alan or Andrew could eat more dough, Kathryn took the trays and put them in the oven.

“They will be soon,” Andrew countered.

“Yeah, but they’d be for my par-TY!”

“Really?  When’s your party?”  Andrew gave Kathryn a conspiring wink.

Alan rolled his eyes.  “Tomorrow.  I’m turning five!”

Kathryn cut in before their uncle could ask any more about the party.  “Okay, scooter.  Go wash up.  Then go find your toys or colouring books.”  She and Andrew watched Alan rush off before the young woman turned back to her uncle.  “Did you pick up the cake?”

“Yes.  I put it in the back pantry as I came in.  You need any help in here?”

“No.  I’m gonna be out of here as soon as these cookies are done.  Hopefully they’ll turn out okay.”

“Your mom was good at baking.”

“Yes, but that was Mom, not me.  I hate being in here.  Can’t cook to save my life.”  

Andrew laughed.  “Then why are you in here now?”

“Because someone decided to let my little brother know that Mom taught me how to bake cookies.  He’s been pestering me ever since for the chance to do some baking.  They’re the only things that I can get semi right.”

The older man nodded and busied himself making a cup of coffee.  Kathryn poured herself a glass of water and leaned against the counter top.  “He forgot,” she said suddenly.

“Who forgot what?”

“Dad did.  On Monday.  He forgot my graduation.”

“It’s a good thing I recorded it then, isn’t it?” Andrew said.

Kathryn restrained herself from rolling her eyes.  “That’s not the same.  I intended that video to go to Aunt Su and Uncle Ryan so they could see it.  Now Dad will want it.  It’s not fair.”

“Things rarely are.”  Andrew sighed and took a sip of his coffee.  “Su and Ryan said they’d be here to help celebrate tomorrow.  It’s not every day our youngest nephew turns 5.”

“It’s been too long since they last visited here.  I’d love to take my brothers out to see them but that’s a bit of a mission.”  Kathryn looked over her shoulder and out the window.

“Luce said the same thing that last Christmas we had together.”

“I doubt Dad will let me.  Last time we visited Aunt Su, Uncle Ryan, Jayden, Mason and Harper was just before Grandma Tracy died.”

“The last few years haven’t been easy on you, have they?”

“You’re telling me, Uncle Andy.”  Kathryn sniffed.  “Dad’s hardly ever home, even before Mom died.  Scott’s usually off somewhere with his friends and not helping out around here.  What happens when I leave?  Is everything gonna rest on John’s shoulders?”

Andrew took in a deep breath and couldn’t really find the right words to comfort his niece.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Alan ran around the backyard, squealing with glee.  He was being chased by his three cousins and three of his four brothers.  The party wasn’t overly big.  Mainly it was just family with two of Alan’s friends from the neighbourhood.  Kathryn and the other adults in attendance laughed at the way the older children were chasing after the birthday boy and his friends.  Scott was sitting off to one side with the only friend Kathryn had allowed him to invite.  She thought that seeing as the other boys had friends their own age (even though those friends were also cousins) Scott could have someone there his own age too.  Not that the thirteen-year-old was paying much attention to the party.

Susan saw Kathryn look around for her father and internally sighed.  She hadn’t seen the family for a few months but there were little signs that things weren’t quite right within the household.  Kathryn practically ran the household and the boys followed her lead.  It was too much to ask of any teenager, even one as capable as Kathryn.  Scott, by the looks of things, didn’t do too much to help either.  Kathryn slipped inside, leaving her two uncles and aunt outside to entertain the ‘rabble’ enjoying their time together.  Susan slipped inside after her.

Ryan noticed his wife disappear and turned to his brother-in-law.  “What are those two up to?”

Andrew turned to look at Ryan.  He shrugged his shoulders slightly.  Being involved with the family on a daily basis, he could guess at what was going on but didn’t want to bring it up to spoil the day.  “Probably organizing an indoor game.”

“It’s more than that.”

“Just drop it okay?  Ask again later.”

Ryan nodded and looked around for his second brother-in-law.  “Where’s Jeff?  Shouldn’t he be here to celebrate Alan’s birthday?”

Andrew sighed and looked Ryan square in the eye.  “He’s busy.”

“Oh.”  Ryan looked around the backyard and then gave a half-hearted smile.  He’d effectively killed the party spirit.  Alan had stopped with his friends just in front of the two men.  The six older children had stopped behind them.  “What’s with the long faces?  I think there’s some games inside.  Something to do with parcels?”

Alan’s face became a little bit brighter and he led the way indoors.  The two men looked over to where Scott and James were sitting.  “Oy!  You two, are you coming in to play or what?” Ryan asked.

“Pass the parcel is for babies,” Scott shot back.

Andrew cocked up an eyebrow and pulled Ryan indoors.  “Come on, before moody Kate has our hides.”

“Moody Kate?”

“Yeah, I’ll explain later.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn came downstairs from turning out her brothers’ lights to be confronted by her aunt and uncles.  “What’s going on?”

“How long has Jeff been putting his duties aside as a father in favour of his business?” Susan asked.

Kathryn shrugged.  “I don’t know.”  She pushed passed them and into the lounge.  She didn’t want a conversation about her family to spoil the remains of Alan’s birthday, even though the boy was asleep.  Ryan followed her first and watched her take a seat in front of the TV.  Before she could turn it on and ignore the impeding conversation, Ryan had swiped the control from her.  She looked offended up at them.  “What?”

“How long?” Ryan asked.

Kathryn glared at them and folded her arms.  Andrew was leaning against the lounge doorway and shook his head at the teen’s defiance.  “Since Luce died,” he replied for her.  “Maybe even since Mrs Tracy’s death two and a half years ago.”  The older man made his way further into the room.  “Jeff’s buried himself in his work the last eighteen months to forget his pain.  It’s his way of dealing with her death.”

Susan looked toward her brother.  “So who’s been dealing with dinners and getting the kids to school?”

“Who do you think?” Kathryn answered sullenly.  “Dad’s not been around and Scott spends more time off with his friends than being here.  I couldn’t really ask John for help.”

“What about you, Andrew?”

“I’ve been helping out as much as I can, but that’s not easy with a full time job.  I’ve had to cut back some of my hours so I can help out more.”  Andrew moved to sit on the couch beside his sister and opposite Kathryn.  “I barely make ends meet but I can manage.  We have so far, haven’t we?”  He directed his last statement toward Kathryn.

“It’s just not the same without Mom.  Sometimes I think I’d be better off with Tony.”

“Don’t think that!” Andrew growled.  “That man is nothing but trouble.  I don’t want to hear that you’ve gone to find him.  You hear me?”

Kathryn pouted.  “But why?  If you were in my position, wouldn’t you want to know about him?”

“Look, it’s not my decision-”

“No, but it’ll be mine in five days’ time when I turn eighteen,” Kathryn mumbled.

Andrew frowned at his niece’s attitude but continued with his line of thought.  “Your father, once he found out what Anthony Quinn did to your mother, forbade any mention of him to you.  Your mother agreed.  I only told you his name because you kept pestering me when you were younger.”

“Andy!” Susan exclaimed.

“She has a right to know, Susan.  It’s no secret that Jeff adopted her when he married Luce.  That was one thing that Dad required if anyone was to marry our Lucille.”

Kathryn snorted.  “It is in this household.  Apart from me, Dad’s the only one who knows.”

“You haven’t told them you’re adopted?” Ryan asked.

“What’s the point?  They’re still going to be my brothers at the end of the day.”  The teen stood and stretched.  “Look, I’m tired.  I’m heading to bed.  See you all in the morning.”  Kathryn left the room and the adults watched her leave.  Susan sighed and looked around at the others in the room.

“What can we do?” she asked quietly.  Neither man had any answers.  They headed to their own respective rooms (or home in the case of Andrew).

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jeff looked up from his desk as he heard the outer office door close.  He hadn’t managed to make it home the day before and had fallen asleep on the couch.  Trish, his secretary of four years, had woken him up that Monday morning with a cup of coffee.  The woman could understand Jeff’s desire to work away his grief although she hadn’t lost anyone close to her since her mother three years before.  The businessman allowed a small smile to cross his face before he realized Trish was calling him on the comm.

“ _There’s a Susan Stonewall here to see you, sir_.”

Susan.  What was she doing at the office?  In fact, what was she even doing in town?  “Send her in.”

His inner office door opened and his sister-in-law came in.  She closed the door behind her.  Glaring at her brother-in-law, Susan asked, “So what’s your excuse this time?  Working?  Don’t roll your eyes at me, Jefferson Tracy.  You can’t have forgotten your son’s birthday.  It was a Sunday, no less!”

Jeff felt himself stiffen and he returned Susan’s glare.  “I never imagined a lecture from you, Susan.”

“Oh, I can imagine.  Did you even remember to get Alan something?  He is five now, or had you really forgotten?”

“No, I didn’t forget.  I was just closing a big deal in Europe.”

“Huh.”  Susan placed her hands on her hips and looked thoughtful for all of two seconds.  “Your deal with Europe is more important than your five-year-old son?  What was it last week?  Something with China?”  She would have smirked at him when he winced but she was feeling so disgusted at his blatant disregard for his children’s wellbeing that she couldn’t even find herself being amused.  “Oh yes, Andrew told me how you forgot to go to Kathryn’s graduation.  You do know she was one of the valedictorians?”  Susan let out a moan and threw up her hands when Jeff frowned at her in askance.  “Jeff!  You need to get your priorities sorted.  Those kids need their father. _Your_ kids need _you_.”

 Jeff slammed his hand down on the desk.  “Susan.  Stop!  Don’t you think I already know that?”

“Sometimes I don’t think you do.”  She turned from the room to head back out the door.  Before exiting, she stopped again and turned to face her brother-in-law.  “Someday, Jeff, I hope you wake up and realize the gift Lucy left you.  Kathryn’s nearly old enough to make her own decisions with what she wants to do with her life.  You’ll stop and realize one day that your kids are no longer children and I’d hate to be in your shoes when they decide that your opinion no longer matters to them.”

“When?”

“Yes, when.  I sincerely hope that day isn’t soon.  I hope you can salvage whatever relationship you have with your kids before it’s too late.  Have a good day.”  Susan exited the office, leaving a puzzled Jeff behind her.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Independence Day dawned bright and clear.  As always, Kathryn was up with the dawn.  She always found the early mornings the best times to think.  Most of her family were late risers, so she generally had the house to herself.  Even during her teenaged years, she didn’t protest (much) about her set bed time of 9:30pm.  This later changed to 11pm when she reached 16.  But she continued to head to bed at 9:30 in preference of getting up at 5am or even sometimes 4:30 to work on homework, go for a run and other things.  She’d only head downstairs to the kitchen when she heard either her mother or father stir.

Unlike other days, though, Kathryn felt the same sense of sadness that she had had the year before.  There would be no more birthdays where she’d have an early morning coco (after her morning run) with her mom or an evening at the movies.  Or any more ‘girly’ days with her mom, just the two of them.  That was always the tradition the two of them had shared that even Jeff couldn’t shake.  Independence Day, the day that Kathryn was born, was always ‘their’ day, just as January 15 was always designated ‘mom and dad’s day’ by Kathryn when Scott was small.

There was a gentle knock at her bedroom door and Kathryn called out that whoever was there could come in.  It was nearing 8:30 am and Kathryn had yet to emerge from her bedroom.  Her birthday was one day she would forgo her usual run.  Susan poked her head in and gave her niece a smile.  “I know I’m not your mom, honey, but I thought I’d give you these.”  The woman handed over a carefully wrapped folder.  “She’d want you to have this.”

“What is it?”

“Your adoption papers, birth certificate, and any information your mom and I remember about Anthony.  You always had questions about the man, and Lucy knew she would eventually tell you.  She knew what it was like growing up not knowing what her parents thought of her.  I’m sure if she could, your mom would find them in a heartbeat if she found out they were still alive.”

Kathryn smiled sadly.  “Thanks Aunt Su.”  She ran her hand over the cover of the folder before returning her attention to the open photo album on her bed.  “I wish I had known them.”

“So do I.  From what Lucy told me when my parents adopted her, she felt that they would’ve been proud and pleased she found happiness with us.  Then you came.  And that bought us even more happiness.”

“Is it wrong for me to want to know my biological father?”

Susan shook her head.  “No honey.  You’re curious.  If I were you, I’d want the same thing.  Just be careful, okay?  Neither Andy nor I really got on with Anthony.  He wasn’t good enough for you or your mom.”

“Why did he leave Mom?  I don’t understand.”

Susan sat on the bed next to Kathryn.  “Katie, I don’t really know why he left her.  It was after Lucy found out she was pregnant with you.”

Kathryn sniffed.  “Didn’t my father want me?”

“I don’t know about the man who gave you life, but your dad...  That’s a different story.  You should have seen him when Lucy first brought him home.”

The eighteen-year-old sniffed again and gave her aunt a short laugh.  “I was two, Aunt Su.  If I saw, I don’t remember it.”

Susan laughed lightly.  “He thought you were a little angel sent to brighten up his life.  And Lucy, he called her blessed for having such a great kid.  Oh, he couldn’t stop talking about you.  Lucy always said Tracys fell hard and fast.  She must have said it hundreds of times after meeting your father and grandparents.  They adored you and they adored Lucy.  And who could blame them?  You were a cherub, and Lu was the sister I’d always wanted.”

Kathryn smiled a little brighter.  A knock came at the open door and Jeff poked his head in.  “Hope I’m not interrupting anything, but I thought maybe I’d see what the holdup was?”  Kathryn frowned at him in question and he gave her a half-hearted smile.  “Well, John decided to cook breakfast this morning and he said we couldn’t start without the guest of honour.  When I asked who that could be, he kindly reminded me that it’s someone’s birthday today.”  He came into the room fully and put his left hand into his pocket.  His right remained behind his back.  “So I thought I’d come and see you to wish you a happy birthday.”  Pulling out his hand, he handed over an envelope.  “I found this late last night.”  Kathryn gasped and covered her mouth as she took the letter from her father.  She remembered Lucille sitting down on each of the boys’ first birthdays (or a few days later in the case of Virgil) and wrote a note for them to read on their eighteenth birthday.  “Read it after breakfast.  You don’t want to keep John waiting.”

Kathryn nodded and got off the bed.  She put the letter on her bedside table and followed Jeff out of the room.  It stayed there for two days before she worked up the courage to read it early on July 6.

“‘Dearest Kathryn.  As I sit down to write this letter, I watch you sleep on the rug by the fire.  We sat up and roasted marshmallows ‘til past your normal bed time.  Your Gran says I spoil you.  I don’t know any of this parenting thing.  What would I know?  I’m 18.  I wasn’t ever expecting to have a child at 18.  Just because I did it, I don’t expect to be a grandma when you’re 18, baby.  Sometimes I really think being a parent is not me.

“Looking at you now, I see so much of my mother in you.  You have her reddish hair.  I wonder what you’d be like once you reach your majority.  Maybe you’ll be like me.  Or I wonder if you’d be anything like Tony Quinn.  I hope not.  I hope I raised you better than to treat people like the way he treated me.  He was just using me to ‘improve’ his status in the poplar crowd.  He is nothing but a bully.  I thought he was handsome and charming, but that was just an act.  Anyway, I doubt you’d want to hear my ramblings.  I mainly wanted to let you know how much I love you, and although you were not planned, you are still wanted.  I couldn’t have asked for a more adorable daughter.  I didn’t realize how much I actually wanted you until I first saw you.  You changed my life, and though it has become challenging, I wouldn’t have asked for anything else. 

“No matter what you decide to do with your life, know that I’ll always be proud of you, even if I don’t always show it.  You are everything I could dream of.  Love always.  XOXOX.  Mom.’ “

Kathryn had tears streaming down her face when she finished the letter.  She picked up the envelope and tipped it upside down.  Two handwritten tickets fell out and onto the floor.  Frowning, she leaned over to pick them up.  Her eyes widened with surprise as she read the first one.  ‘Day out with Dad,’ it said.  The second was a similar ticket, but instead of a day out with her father, it was an evening at the movies or a concert with her father and a meal.

She didn’t know when she’d use the tickets but then, it was more the thought that counted.  Or it used to be.  She wasn’t so sure if Jeff would actually follow through with the promise of spending a day or evening with her.  There was only one way of finding out if he would or not and that was to cash in one of the tickets.  Maybe that evening one.

The teen sighed and put the letter and tickets on her bedside table.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn spent the remainder of the summer wondering what she was going to do with the rest of her life.  She’d focused more on getting some semblance of normal back into the Tracy household after Lucille died rather than her future.  By the time she realized she was finishing her schooling career, it was too late to enrol at a university.  Not unless she wanted to use the Tracy name.  Most universities would jump at the chance to educate the first of Jeff Tracy’s children.  But she didn’t want to do that.  Not without a clear direction of what she wanted to do.  She remembered the conversation she had had with Andrew not long after her eighteenth birthday.  He’d arrived to take the younger boys out, leaving her with just Scott at home.

 _“Why don’t you try something to do with helping others?”_ he’d suggested.  “ _You were always good at fixing scrapes or bruises when your brothers were young.  They all called you Nurse Katie.”_

She’d laughed at the nickname from her childhood.  Sometimes her brothers still called her that, even though they had learnt to fix up their own scrapes.  Even at school, she’d been interested in working at the First Aid Centre and could do a range of things for minor injuries.  She had even enjoyed the Chemistry and Biology sections of science.  Physics didn’t really interest her, but things to do with the human body fascinated her.  _“Maybe I will, Uncle Andy.  But if I enrol at Medical School, I don’t think I’ll be able to get in until the spring semester.”_

_“You are kidding me, right?  Any university would jump to have you at their campus.  You are the daughter of billionaire Jeff Tracy, plus with your grades, you are one of the top students of your high school.”_

She hadn’t done anything about it then, but had given the suggestion serious thought.  She didn’t think becoming a doctor was really what she wanted to do, but maybe there could be something along those lines that would interest her.  In the end, she found information relating to the army that interested her.  The army offered training as a medic in combat situations that she thought would be very interesting.  And she thought she had the necessary sciences and first aid skills to be accepted for the training.

Andrew couldn’t believe that his niece had decided to enlist in the US Army.  And have his help to do it.

“Does your father know about this?” he asked.

“No.  It’s not his decision.  I don’t need his approval to enlist.”

The 35-year-old frowned at Kathryn and asked, “Are you sure this is what you want?  Because I won’t help you with this unless you’re 100% sure this is the right choice for you.”  The teen nodded and was about to verbally reply when Andrew added, “If you do this, you will be signing up for the next eight years, at least.”

Kathryn swallowed but met her uncle’s gaze.  “I’m sure.  Mom would have wanted me to.”

“You can’t just do this for her, kiddo.”

“I know.  I’m doing it for me.  Like you said, I’m good at fixing people but I don’t see myself working in a hospital.  As a nurse or a doctor.  Maybe I can help out in the field.”

“You’ll be part of the front line defence if you enlist as a combat medic.  You’ll be looking after wounded or sick soldiers.  Essentially you’ll be their health provider until they can be brought to a hospital.  And you may not be able to get in as a combat medic.  You’ve got to do some heavy lifting.”  When he could see that she wasn’t backing down, he gave her a short nod.  “Okay.  So what are you going to tell Jeff?”

“I’ll think of something.”

Andrew snorted.  “I wouldn’t want to be in ten miles of that conversation.  What would you do if you don’t get in?”

“Maybe become a fire-fighter or paramedic or something,” Kathryn replied with a shrug.

“You don’t sound so sure about those options, Kate.”

She gave her uncle another non-committed shrug.  “I haven’t really thought about what I’d do if I don’t get into the army.”

“It’s best to have some options, just in case.  I know you really want to do this army thing so if you find a few months down the track that it’s not for you, don’t come crying to me.  You’ve got to stick to your choices, kiddo, and I’ll tell you that I warned you.”

“Are you trying to talk me out of this?”

“No.  I just want you to be serious about this choice.  Getting out of the armed services is not as easy as it seems.  Even if you get pregnant, that is not always a guarantee you’ll get discharged.”  Andrew gave her an encouraging smile.  “I want you to be safe, but it’s your choice, kiddo.”  He offered her a one-armed hug and she accepted it briefly.  Pulling away, he asked, “Where are your brothers?  School doesn’t start for three more weeks.”

“They’re all out with friends today.  Even Alan.”  She gave her uncle a slight smile and asked, “Shall we go?”

“Do you have all the paperwork?”

“Right here,” she returned while raising a folder.  Her birth certificate, adoption papers and other identification were encased as well as her High School Diploma and grades from the past year.

“Alright.  Let’s go.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

“Hi Trish,” Kathryn said as she entered her father’s outer office.  “Is Dad in?”

Trish gave the teen a smile and nodded.  “He’s in and has a meeting in about two hours, and I’m sure he can spare a few minutes to see you.”

“Thanks.  Can I go in?”  Trish nodded again and Kathryn entered Jeff’s inner office.  “Hi Dad.”

Jeff looked up and frowned.  “What are you doing here?  Shouldn’t you be with the boys?”

“Scott’s old enough to be on his own for an hour or two.  He is thirteen.  But don’t worry.  Uncle Andy has it covered.”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

“Well, I thought I’d let you know I’m heading out this afternoon.  I report for the last of my enlistment details and basic training tomorrow morning.”

Jeff frowned.  “Excuse me?”

“I’ve enlisted.  In the Army.  I report at Fort Leonard Wood tomorrow at 0800.  Could you give me a lift to the bus station?”

“And when were you going to discuss this with me?”

“Uh...  I’m discussing this with you now and I was hoping you’d spare some time to have lunch with me and to drop me at the bus station.  If not, then I’ll just take a taxi.”  Kathryn looked pointedly at her father.  “Uncle Andy gave me the rundown on being in the Army already, Dad, so don’t worry about me.  I know what I’m doing.”

“I don’t think you do, young lady.”

“And you think I don’t remember you being in the Air Force?  You missed Scott’s birth, and almost didn’t make it back for John or Gordon’s either.  You can’t stop me.  I have already done the initial enlistment paperwork.”

“What about parental consent?  You’re not old enough to make your own decisions yet.”

“Last time I checked, _Dad_ , I’ve reached my majority.  Or did you forget I turned eighteen this past July?  And what’s the difference between joining the army and looking after my brothers?  Oh, yes, that’s it.  I _chose_ the army.  You just _forced_ me to become the chief caregiver of my _half_ -brothers.  What do you want me to do for the next fifteen years?  Sit on my thumbs and not give a damn about my future while you bury yourself and me in your own self-centeredness?  _Sorry_ , I just can’t see me doing that.  I am not some pushover for you to use while you forget your own problems.  Why should I let you forget everything Mom was?  She’d be disappointed in you.  I can’t believe she actually fell for someone like you.  You’re a selfish, stubborn bastard!”

Jeff levelled his gaze on Kathryn.  Even though he was sure she didn’t mean half the stuff she just said, the words still stung.  “Kathryn!” he growled, feeling his own anger boil.  “You will stop with this nonsense right now.”

“I hate you.  I wish I’d never met you.”  The eighteen-year-old spun on the balls of her feet to head out the door.

“If you walk out that door, young lady, I won’t be able to protect you.”

She turned back to face him.  “From what?  It’s not like you’ve been there to fight my battles for me.  Where were you when I was beat up last year?”  Folding her arms across her chest, she sniffed but wouldn’t give into her tears.  “You haven’t shown me once since Grandma Tracy died that you give a rat’s ass about me or anything I do.  Why would _I_ want _you_ to protect _me_?”  She turned back to the door.  “Don’t bother calling.  I won’t have a phone.”

Jeff watched his daughter (in all but blood) walk out of his office and perhaps out of his life forever.  He ran his hands over his face and felt tears pool in his eyes.  He knew things had been getting bad between Kathryn and himself, but he didn’t really know how to fix the problem.


	2. Fall 2025

 Kathryn had phoned Andrew as soon as she had arrived at Fort Leonard Wood the next morning.  He didn’t mind that the phone call came in at 0730.  He’d appreciated the fact that she had thought of him and the family before she started her basic training.  At least he would have some peace of mind that she had arrived safely and was about to start the next part of her journey optimistically.

Jeff hadn’t even questioned why his brother-in-law was at his home that early in the morning.  The budding businessman had barely registered that Andrew was there when he walked out the door to head to the office at 7:40.  The two men barely spoke two words to each other that first morning.  Andrew sighed and started preparing breakfast for the rest of the family.

“Hi Uncle Andy,” John said as he came into the kitchen ten minutes after Jeff had left.  “Do you need any help?”

“Could you set the table please?”

“Sure.  Is Dad joining us for breakfast?”

Andrew flipped the pancake he was busy cooking and then turned his attention back to his second oldest nephew.  “He’s already left for work.”

John nodded and set the table for seven.  He was just about to place a glass of juice at Kathryn’s place when he stopped.  “It’s different thinking that she’s not gonna be around this year,” he said quietly.  Andrew looked out at the table and sighed.  The man knew what the boy was talking about.  “So who’s gonna look after us now?  You know, like help us with homework and things?”

Andrew began cooking another pancake.  “Well, seeing as Kathryn’s not here, I guess that leaves me.  Is that okay, sport?”

“Yeah, but you don’t live here.”

“We’ll sort something out.  Do you want to call the others?  Breakfast is almost ready.”

John nodded and went to call the other boys to the table.  The next few weeks passed in a blur and the five boys were starting school.  Every day while the boys were still on vacation, Andrew was there.  He’d eventually decided to move in while Jeff sorted out his priorities and couldn’t (or wouldn’t) be there for his children.  Kathryn had phoned twice (both times on a Sunday) to talk to her brothers.  She wished them all the best for their new year at school and had let them know her training was going well.

Andrew had not quite believed her but didn’t press the issue.  It had been her decision.  By the time he realized that it was September 14th (and with it came Gordon’s tenth birthday; Virgil’s eleventh birthday was the following day), he had been living with the Tracy’s for nearly three weeks and the kids had been back at school for a fortnight.  The thing that annoyed Andrew the most about the living arrangements was that Jeff hadn’t questioned it.  In fact, Jeff had encouraged his brother-in-law to move into the spare bedroom and for the man to cut back his working hours.

Gordon sat in his normal chair at the dining room table for breakfast.  He was glad that it was a Saturday so he could spend the time doing what he pleased.  And it meant that Jeff possibly could make an appearance.  That didn’t mean the man would (Jeff had barely given five minutes to any one of his children on their birthdays since Lucy died), but Gordon could hope.  Just at that moment, Jeff walked into the dining room with the newspaper and a cup of coffee in his hand.  Gordon smiled brightly at his father.

“Good morning, Gordon,” Jeff greeted.

“Morning Dad,” Gordon returned.

Andrew came into the dining room with plates of bacon, eggs and crispy potatoes (the general birthday treat Andrew or Kathryn had given the boys ever since Lucille had died).  Jeff looked it over and realized that it was not the normal breakfast that was served in his household.

“What’s the occasion?” the man asked.  He shot his son a warning look when Gordon rolled his eyes but changed quickly with Gordon’s answer.

“I’m ten now Dad!” Gordon exclaimed.  “It’s my birthday today.”

The four other boys made their way into the dining room and sat at their places.  “Happy birthday, Gordon!” the boys greeted before turning to their father to greet him.  Andrew sat his place and helped dish up Alan’s food.

Jeff put his newspaper down and dished himself up some breakfast.  “What are your plans for the day, now that you’ve moved into double figures, Gordon?”

“Uncle Andy is taking us down to the Aquatic Centre later.  Some of my friends from school are meeting us down there.”

“That sounds like fun.  You’ll have to tell me all about it when I get back.”

Virgil frowned.  “Where are you going, Dad?  Will you be here tomorrow?”

“I’m sorry, Virgil.  I’ve got a conference to go to in Australia.  I’ll make it up to you next year.  Promise.”  Jeff sighed at the downcast look Virgil had after his announcement.  Although he hadn’t spent much time with his children the last year or so, he did still care for them.  He just didn’t know how to reach out to them.  He took another sip of coffee and met Andrew’s frustrated gaze.  Giving a smile to his disheartened children, Jeff stood and told them to wait.  He was gone for about five minutes before he returned with two gifts.  One he handed to Gordon and the other he handed to Virgil.  (He had long since made up for missing Alan’s birthday with a bike arriving the day after the boy turned five.)

Gordon eagerly took the gift off his father and looked toward Andrew for permission to open it.  Jeff shook his head slightly and said, “Open it, Gordon.”  The boy smiled and tore into the wrapping paper.  His eyes widened in surprise as he uncovered a new set of goggles, flippers and a snorkel.

Putting the gift down, he ran around the table to his father and threw himself at Jeff.  Jeff caught him awkwardly.  “So do you like it?” the father asked.  The grin on Gordon’s face was all the answer that Jeff needed.  Releasing his son, Jeff turned to Virgil and encouraged his middle son to open his own present.  Virgil received some new acrylic paint and some brushes.  The nearly eleven-year-old looked up from his gift with a smile.  Jeff returned the smile and dismissed the boys from the table.  Scott stayed to clean up the table.

Jeff sighed and looked at his brother-in-law.  The billionaire knew he had made many mistakes concerning both his children and his wife’s adopted family.

“It’s a start,” Andrew said, before leaving the table himself.  He helped Scott clean up the breakfast dishes.

Jeff followed them into the kitchen.  “Have you heard anything from Kathryn?” he asked out of interest.

Andrew looked over from the sink.  “She called last Sunday and I expect she’ll try and call tomorrow.”

“How is she doing?”

“As far as I can tell, she’s doing well.”  Andrew finished drying the plate he was cleaning and turned to fully take his brother-in-law.  He wanted to ask why Jeff was suddenly paying a bit more attention to his family (not that that was a bad thing).

Jeff returned Andrew’s stare and gave him a small smile.  “I need to go and pack.  I’ll be back in a week.”  Andrew nodded in acceptance.  “I trust things won’t fall apart while I’m gone?”

“Things haven’t before when you’ve gone,” Andrew retorted.

The older man looked taken aback at Andrew’s comment.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We can manage just fine while you’ve been gone before.  If I recall correctly, Katie ran this household just fine without you for the past two years.”

“You know I don’t like anyone shortening Kathryn’s name.”

“Well, too bad.  It’s not like you have much choice in the matter.  She gets to decide what people call her and you weren’t the one to give her the name in the first place.  That was Lucille’s idea.  You weren’t even around when that little lady came in and changed our lives.”

Jeff narrowed his eyes and Andrew just gave him an unconcerned shrug.  It was only when Scott asked, “What do you mean, Uncle Andy?” that Andrew realized that the boy was with them in the kitchen.

“So what Kathryn said back in June is true.  I thought you of all people would have told your sons about how you met Luce and Kate.  Considering she backed into you.”

Scott frowned.  “Mom and Dad both told us how they met.”

“But not the fact that Kathryn was two years old when your mom first met your dad,” Andrew explained gently.  “Kathryn was even a flower girl at their wedding.”

Scott frowned.  “Really?”

“Did you ever wonder why there was such a big gap between her and you?” Andrew asked.  The man looked up when he heard Jeff growl.  “Don’t you think your sons deserve to know?  John and Virgil have both asked why Kathryn looks more like Lucy than you.  In fact, they’re asking why she doesn’t look like you at all!”

Jeff narrowed his eyes at his brother-in-law.  “You know that I adopted Kathryn when I married Luce.  It didn’t matter to me who her biological father was.  She’s just as much my child as any one of my sons.”

“Then why don’t you treat her like one?”  Andrew turned from Jeff and looked toward his eldest nephew.  “Come on, Scott.  Let’s get everyone organised.”

The two of them left Jeff fuming in the kitchen but Andrew hardly cared.  Jeff wasn’t the man he’d known before Lucy’s death and that caused him to lash out a number of times at the older man.

“Uncle Andy, why didn’t Dad or Kate ever tell us that she was adopted?” Scott asked as they left the room.

Andrew gave his nephew a non-committed shrug.  “I’m not totally sure, Scooter.  Maybe because up until recently it didn’t matter much to them.  Kathryn _is_ your sister, in every sense of the word.  She’s just got a lot to deal with now since your mom passed away and her adoption is part of that.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn kept her head down and walked into the Dining Facility behind the last of her unit members.  The ten weeks of basic training were gruelling and she hardly had time to call home.  She hardly knew anyone else on the course except through the time spent working drills with the other members of her unit. 

One of her female unit members spotted her entrance into the mess hall and decided to have a bit of fun.  “Private Tracy,” Emily Browne called out.

Kathryn swung her head around to the sound of her name and growled out, “It’s _Keith_ -Tracy.”  She knew that Jeff Tracy had adopted her when he married her mother, and hadn’t pressed the issue of changing the girl’s name.  All he had asked of her mother was that she considers hyphenating Kathryn’s last name to Keith-Tracy.  That was what her mother had done when Lucy had gone in to officially change her name to Graham-Tracy.

One of the other cadets who was in the lunch line ahead of Kathryn, Jared Carter, laughed at her reaction.  “You know, Keith-Tracy, they only call you Tracy to rile you up.”

“Carter, shut up.”

“I’m just saying.”  The 19-year-old boy from Kansas City shrugged his shoulders.  “What are you going to do?  Stick your daddy on me?”

Kathryn rolled her eyes and refused to rise to the bait.  She desperately wanted to refute she didn’t know her father, but 18 months as her brothers’ sole caregiver had taught her to hold her tongue.  Instead, she decided to screw her nose up slightly before settling her poker face back on.  Carter looked back over his shoulder and snorted at the face Kathryn gave him.

“When are you shipping out?” Carter asked.

“Like you and everyone else in our unit, tomorrow.”

Carter, unlike the rest of the unit, seemed to be the one person that Kathryn could stand.  At least, he was the only one she would have a semblance of a conversation with.  Carter looked down at the girl beside him as he gathered up his lunch food.  “You know I was only joking about your father, right?”

“Yeah,” Kathryn said quietly.  “He and I didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.”

“Why?  Didn’t he want you to join the army or something?”  She shrugged slightly and picked up her tray.  She didn’t really want to explain her reasons for joining the army.  At least she had gained entrance into the medic advanced training and was shipping out to Fort Sam Huston in the morning.  Carter gave her a rueful smile.  “Red, don’t tell me you came here without his consent.”

“It’s my life.”  Kathryn looked up from her food.  “I prefer Red over Ginger.”

“At least you don’t have the temper to go with it.”

She gave him a small smile and patted her top left pocket.  The letter she received from her father nearly four weeks before was tucked safely inside.  She hadn’t expected any communication from her father and she was beginning to regret the way she had left.  Jeff Tracy did care about her.  A lot.  And she knew that his actions the past year and a half were from a man who was trying desperately to hold everything together.

The letter alone proved it, if nothing else.

“10-15-25

Dear Kathryn.

How are you?  Things here are fine.  The boys keep on asking about you and Alan wants to know when you’ll be back.  It is hard to explain to a five-year-old that the Army isn’t like school.  How are you really finding the training?

I’m not good with words.  Understand this; I would hate to hear news of you with the last words between us are words of anger.  Lucy would not want that of us.  I forgot that it wasn’t just me that missed her, because it’s not just me in this family.  You children have been what have kept me going, even if I haven’t shown it much.  I want you to know that I’m proud of you.

I love you, sweetheart.  Even if we are unrelated biologically, in every sense of the word, you are my daughter and I love you very much.  You will always have a place in my home.

Dad.”

When Kathryn had first read the letter, she wanted to cry.  But she had learnt to push aside her own emotions in the months of looking after her brothers.  It was very rare for her to show any sign of what she was feeling.  Hearing from her dad in a letter was the closest she’d come to any sign of weakness since joining the Army.  She still hadn’t replied to the letter.  She had received another letter from her father just a week ago.

“Anything new from home?” Carter asked.

Kathryn looked up from her lunch and shrugged her shoulders.  “Not really.  Dad went back to Australia last week.  Alan’s settled into school, Gordon’s still up to his pranks, Virgil’s still into his music, John’s stargazing at night when Uncle Andy and Dad let him and Scott’s still a pain in the backside.”

“That’s right!  You come from a big family.  How many are there of you?”

“I’m the oldest of six.”  Kathryn took a bite of her sandwich.  “You’ve got what?  An older brother and a younger sister?”

“How did you know that?”

The eighteen-year-old shrugged her shoulders again and took another bite of her sandwich.  She didn’t need to say she paid attention to what Carter had told her about his own family – he could talk when he wanted to and most lunches (and a number of other meals) he would sit with her and give her the latest update of his family.  It didn’t matter that Kathryn wouldn’t really participate in the conversation.  Carter was the closest thing Kathryn had to a friend in the Army.

“Where are you headed, Carter?”

“Special Forces.  You?”

“Fort Sam Houston.”  She gave her friend a rueful smile.  “Maybe one day we’ll be stationed together.”

“And I’ll have to pull your butt out of some trouble.”

“Then I’ll have to stitch you up because you got shot saving my arse.”

“But it’s such a nice arse.”

Kathryn rolled her eyes.  “Dream on.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Andrew looked around the living area of the place he had come to call home.  It was a Sunday afternoon and Jeff had taken the boys out for something.  The family hadn’t heard from Kathryn in over a week, but in the last phone call she had made home, she told them not to expect a call in the near future as she was moving to her next station.  The phone rang.  Putting down the tea towel, he made his way to the phone.  “Andrew speaking.”

_“Hi Uncle Andy.  How’s the family?”_

Andrew smiled to himself.  “Katie.  I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until next weekend.  Where are you now?”

_“Fort Sam Houston in Texas.  I shipped out last weekend and arrived late on Sunday.  There wasn’t enough time to give you a call then.”_

“So you managed to make it into the medic training?”

_“Why do you sound so surprised?  Where are the boys?”_

Andrew looked over his shoulder toward the front door of the house.  “Your father took them out to the movies.”

 _“You’re kidding me?”_   The uncle could hear a sense of disbelief in Kathryn’s tone.  _“Dad actually took them out to the movies?”_

He laughed.  “Yeah, kiddo.  He did.  How did you find the last two weeks of training?”

 _“It’s been busy.”_   Andrew heard her sigh.  _“Tell Dad and my brothers I miss them.”_

“I will, Katie.  You look after yourself, you hear me?”

 _“I’ll try.  I’ve been doing it okay so far.”_   There was a pause on her end of the line and Andrew wondered what was going through his niece’s head.  Then he heard her ask, _“Is Dad really thinking of buying an island?”_

“Now where did you hear that?”

_“Just something Virg said in one of his letters.  And John said in his letters.  Dad went to Australia on Copper-Top’s birthday and has gone back a few times in the past two months.”_

Andrew sighed.  “I don’t think I’m the one you should be discussing this with.”

_“Why not?  You’re as much part of the family as I am.  You know what’s going on better than my brothers.  I may just get some misinformation from them.  And there’s no way I’m asking Dad.”_

“You’re still not talking to him?”  The silence on the other end of the line gave Andrew all the answer he needed.  “And why not, young lady?”

_“You’re not my dad, Uncle Andy.”_

“I know, Kathryn.  But at least he’s trying.”  Andrew sighed and realised that trying to get Kathryn to talk to Jeff was like trying to bleed a stone dry.  “Look, I can’t make you do anything, but at least think about talking to him?  He does spend Sundays and most of Saturdays at home now.”

_“I’ll try.  Look, I’ve got to go.  Someone else wants to use the phone.  I’ll try and call again next week.  Say hi to my brothers for me.”_

“I will.  See you later.”  He hung up the phone just as he heard keys in the front door.  It wasn’t long before the five boys, followed closely by Jeff, came running into the living area.  “You’re back already?”  He glanced at his watch.  It was nearly 7pm.

Jeff nodded.  “It was time to get the younger boys to bed.”  Looking around at his sons, Jeff clapped his hands.  “Alright!  Alan, Gordon and Virgil, go get ready for bed.  Brush your teeth and then the older two can read until 7:30.  Scott and John, you can have an extra fifteen minutes before you have to get ready for bed.”  The man looked toward his brother-in-law and frowned.  “What have I done now, Andy?”

“Nothing.”  Andrew walked back into the kitchen.  He called over his shoulder, “I just thought you might want to know Katie just rang.”

“And?”

“She still doesn’t want to talk to you.”

Jeff sighed.  “I better get the boys to bed.”  He stopped at the door to the kitchen and turned back to Andrew.  “I never said thank you.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

_December 7 th, 2025_

Jeff sat at his desk, looking over the photos he had of his island getaway.  He had bought the South Pacific Island two weeks previous.  It was plenty big enough to hold a mansion plus any number of smaller villas around the larger complex.  There would be enough space for each of his boys to have their own space and for him to work from home.  It would mean that he would spend more time with them during vacations but there was also a down side.  As each of the boys was still in school, with Alan just starting this past year, they would have to be enrolled at boarding school.

Placing his elbow on his desk, Jeff rubbed his jaw with his hand and looked down at the last photo he had of his wife.  If only there was equipment to help save her that day.  His hand dropped to the desk.  If only there were a team of people and the right equipment… the best equipment money could buy…

A small smile graced his features as he started up his computer.  Many people wasted away their lives on ‘if only’s.  All he needed to do was to find the right type of engineer.  He had the money to back a rescue project of the scale he was thinking of.


	3. Winter and Spring 2026

Hiram Hackenbacker approached the outer office of Jefferson Tracy.  He pushed his glasses further up on his nose and looked toward Trish.  “Hi-Hiram Ha-hackenba-backer to se-see Mr Trr-racy.”

“Just a moment.  I’ll page him to let him know you are here.”  Hiram nodded at Trish and moved to where there were chairs for waiting.  A few moments later, Jeff’s inner office door opened.  Jeff stepped out and gave Hiram a smile before turning to his assistant.

“Thanks Trish.  I’ll be unavailable for the next hour.”  Turning to Hiram, Jeff held out his hand.  “Thank you for coming, Mr Hackenbacker.  Please come in.”  Hiram followed Jeff into his office and looked around the spacious room.  Jeff turned to Hiram and offered, “Please take a seat.”

Hiram did and held his briefcase close to his chest.  “I’ve got the plans for you to look over.  I’ve added some extra features and made the changes you asked me to.”

Jeff smiled at the younger man.  “Thank you, Hiram.  Let’s have a look shall we?”

Hiram returned Jeff’s smile.  “How is the build on the island going?”

“Just beginning.  They only began the excavation last week.”

The twenty-five-year-old gave a small nod and pulled out the first of his plans.  “I’ve made some changes to the nose cone of this machine as you’ve asked me to.  I’ve also redesigned the engines for this one.  I thought seeing as this craft would be the first on any rescue site, it would need to get anywhere in the world in a matter of hours.  We’ll still have to build it and test it.”

Jeff nodded.  “There is always that.”  He picked up the blue prints for the first craft.  “What about this section here?”  The man indicated a small section near the main entrance panel.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

John was frustrated.  He couldn’t talk to his sister, and he felt Scott wasn’t spending a lot of time helping out around the house.  The last half of 2025 seemed to be getting better for the Tracy family.  At least, that was what John and Andrew were hoping since Kathryn had left for the army.  Jeff had spent most Sundays with his boys ever since his business trip to Australia.  But then, winter vacation had started and Jeff seemed to phase out everything again expect his work.

The twelve-year-old didn’t really understand why.  He knew that winter, especially Christmas time, would always be hard for the family, but he couldn’t work out why Jeff would shut his sons out again.

Andrew watched his stargazing nephew silently and sighed.  He could see the effect that Jeff’s pulling away had on all five Tracy boys.  And he already knew what it had done to Kathryn.  She’d defied Jeff and joined the army.  He moved to sit beside the young pre-teen.  “How are you holding up, Spaceman?”

John sniffed.  “I miss Mom.”

Andrew wrapped his arm around the boy.  “So do I.  Sometimes I can’t believe it’s been two years already.”

“Why is Dad ignoring us again?  Things were better when he spent time with us.”

“I don’t know, John.”  Andrew sighed and allowed John to cry into his shoulder.  “Tell you what, I’ll give your dad a call and let him know that you kids miss him just as much as you miss your mom.”

John sniffed and gave a slight nod.  “Thanks Uncle Andy.”  He pulled away from his uncle slightly.  “I wish I could talk to Kate.  She always knew what to say.”

Andrew smiled slightly.  “Go on, Spaceman.  I’ll get dinner ready.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn looked down at the picture frame of her and her mother.  It had been just over two years since Lucy had died due to an unfortunate accident on the family’s winter vacation.  Jeff had taken the family to the Rockies for a ski retreat.  On January 3rd, 2024, Lucy had taken Kathryn, Gordon and Alan out for a day of sledding and she ended up being killed by an avalanche.  Kathryn remembered her mother making sure Alan got to safety, but at the loss of her own life. 

“You alright, Keith-Tracy?”

Kathryn looked up at her friend and unit mate.  “Yeah.  It’s just hard.”

“What is?” Kelly Davis asked with a laugh.  “The army or the work?”

“More like the time of year.”

“It’s January.  Yeah, we didn’t get to head home for Christmas, but that’s army life for you.”

Kathryn returned her attention to the photograph in her hand - it was the last one taken of her with her mother.  “Mom died two years ago.  In January.”

“I’m sorry, man.”

“There’s nothing you can do about it.”  Kathryn sighed.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap.  I’m the only girl in my family, so it’s hard not having her around for things.”

“I feel for you.  I really do.”

“Thanks,” Kathryn returned.  “But I don’t see how.”

“My dad left when I was seven.  It felt like he died to me.  I’ve tried to find him, to see what happened but I haven’t found him yet.”  Davis gave Kathryn a reassuring smile.  “I always wondered what it would be like growing up with both a mom and a dad.  At least you had that chance.”

The younger teen snorted.  “The man you call my dad is not exactly my biological father now, is he?  My birth father wasn’t even around when I was born.”

“Are you going to find him?”  When Kathryn frowned at Davis’ question, the older girl expanded her question.  “I mean, your biological father.  Are you going to find him?”

“Yeah.  I guess I’ll always have questions about him.  Like why did he leave Mom?”

“Lights out in ten.”  The order came over the com system.  Davis gave Kathryn a parting smile and made for her area of the barracks.  Before she could fully depart, the younger girl grabbed her arm.

“Thanks,” Kathryn whispered.

Davis gave her a brief nod and left the teen thinking over her situation.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

“Jeff,” Andrew asked as the billionaire made his way into the kitchen late one Friday night.  “How important is this family to you?”

Jeff frowned and turned to view his brother-in-law put away the last of the day’s dishes.  “You really have to ask me that, Andy?”

Andrew shut the cupboard and turned to look at Jeff.  “Yes.  It seems that your company has monopolized your life ever since Luce died.  Why is that?  In fact, other than the six months last year after Katie left, why is it that you’ve spent more time elsewhere since Mrs Tracy died?”

Jeff looked to the floor.  “You wouldn’t understand.”

“I lost my own mother, thank you very much.  I know what it’s like to lose a parent.  But I don’t understand what you’re doing.  Not unless you explain it to me!”  The older man moved out of the kitchen and into the living area.  Andrew followed his brother in law.  “Damn it, Jeff!  Are you going to be so difficult about this?”

Jeff whirled on the younger man.  “What would you have me say, Andrew?  Each time I see one of the boys, or heaven forbid, Kathryn, I see her staring back at me!”

“At least she’s left you six reminders of her!  Those kids, especially John, find it so hard to cope without Luce _or_ you!”  Andrew balled up his fists and took a step closer to Jeff.  “You are a stubborn bastard sometimes!”

“Oh,” Jeff said with a roll of his eyes.  “The next thing you’ll tell me is that you hate me.”

Andrew frowned.  “I may not like you right now, Jefferson Tracy, but I certainly don’t hate you.  It’s no wonder Katie left for the army without talking to you first.”

Jeff took a step closer to his brother-in-law and lost some of his steam.  “What would you have me do?” he asked in a tired voice.  “I can’t very well go and revoke Kathryn’s choice now.  She’s stuck in the army now.”

The younger man sighed and unclenched his fists.  “You can stop ignoring the children you _do_ still have living at home.  From what Kathryn’s told me, you could have lost your wife and three of your children that day on the mountain.”

The billionaire ran a hand over his face.  He looked around the living area.  It still pained him to see the reminders of his Lucy scattered around the room but he couldn’t bring himself to change it.  “I make no promises, but I’ll try.  You’re no angel yourself, Andy.”

“I never said I was.  That’s all I can ask of you.  But if you don’t try, I’ll have to take legal action.”

Neither of the men had seen John at the door of the kitchen.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

When Kathryn next phoned (it was two days later), John was the one who answered her call.  _“Hello?”_

The eighteen-year-old frowned and tried to determine which of her brothers had answered the phone.  “Johnny?  Is everything alright?”

John sniffed on the other end of the phone.  _“Katie, can I come and live with you?”_

Kathryn was taken aback by the question.  “Tell me what’s happened.”  The girl knew that John wouldn’t have asked her if he could live with her unless something bad had happened.

_“Dad doesn’t want us anymore.  He spends all his time at work.”_

“We were okay when I was home.  What’s changed now?”

John sniffed on the other end of the line and Kathryn desperately wanted to be with her little brother.  _“Uncle Andy wants to take us off Dad.”_

“What do you mean?  Things can’t be that bad?”

_“I heard them talking on Friday.  It’s what I heard.  I don’t like it here anymore.  Please, Katie.  I want to live with you.”_

Kathryn was about to answer but she heard a scuffle at the other end of the phone.  “Johnny?  Are you still there?”

_“Hello, Kathryn.”_

The teen recognised the voice on the other end of the phone instantly.  “Dad, what the heck is going on?”

Jeff sighed and took a deep breath.  _“I don’t know, honey.  I wasn’t aware that John had overheard the conversation I had with Andy.  We miss you here.”_

Kathryn swallowed and looked over her shoulder to see if there was anyone waiting for the phone.  There wasn’t so she couldn’t use that as an excuse to hang up the phone.  “So I heard you’d brought an island.”

Somehow, she knew her father knew she was changing the topic of conversation.  _“I did.”_

“Why?”

_“It’s getting harder to stay anonymous in Kansas.  I want to protect the boys, or at least have a getaway when things get too much.”_

“It wouldn’t have anything to do with you trying to get away from memories?”

_“I could never get away from your mom.  I wouldn’t want to.”_

Kathryn smiled to herself and said, “I know that Dad.  I think it would be good for the family to have a fresh start.”

She wondered if her dad was nodding to her statement.  _“How’s the army going?”_

“It’s hard.  But I made my choice, and I think I needed the change.”

_“I can’t blame you for that.”_

“Dad,” Kathryn began and then sighed.  “Please don’t do anything to hurt Johnny or Alan.  Virg, Gordon and Scotty either.”  She heard her father sigh in response.  “Don’t abandon them again.”

_“What do you mean by that?”_

“I didn’t want to be abandoned by you or Tony.  But I was.  You left me to look after my brothers while you went to work as if everything was normal all the while emotionally withdrawing from us.  Who’s going to teach Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon or Alan about being a man if you’re not there?  You certainly taught me a lot about your priorities the last few years.”  As soon as Kathryn had said that, she wanted to take her words back.  “I needed you to tell me things were going to get better.”  She looked over her shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Davis was waiting to use the phone.  “I’ve got to go.  Someone else wants to use the phone.  Tell my brothers I love them.”  She hung up the phone before Jeff could protest and brushed past Davis on her way of the room.

“Everything alright?” Davis asked.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Kathryn shot back before she headed to the gym.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jeff looked at the dead receiver in his hand before hanging it back on the cradle.  “I love you, Kathryn,” he whispered.  It was not the first time in the last year that his thoughts were turned back to the little girl he first met sixteen years before.  What had happened to that girl he once knew?

The first think he knew he had to do though, was to go and talk to John.  In fact, it would be good to talk to all of his sons.  Jeff swallowed around the sudden lump that had formed in his throat.  He ran a hand over his face and left the kitchen.  Moving through the house, he found John in his room packing a few of his belongings into his backpack.  Jeff felt his heart constrict slightly and knocked on the door frame.  John jumped at the sound.

“Are you okay?” Jeff asked.  John bit his lower lip and turned back to what he was doing.  The father entered the room and sat on the bed.  “Talk to me son.  Tell me what’s wrong.”

The twelve-year-old blinked back his tears and joined his father on the bed.  “Are you really going to let Uncle Andy have us, Dad?”

Jeff reached out to his second-born son and wrapped his arm around him.  “Not if I can help it, John.  It’s been so hard, these past few years.”  He felt the boy nod against his chest and took a deep breath.  “I miss your mom so much.”

“I miss her too.”

Jeff ran a hand through John’s blond hair and then lifted his son’s gaze so it met his own.  “I don’t know what the future holds, son, but I’m going to try and be here more for you.”

John sniffed.  “You promise Dad?”

The father swallowed hard and gave a nod.  “Yeah, I promise.”

The boy pulled away from his father first and gave the older Tracy a rueful smile.  “Thanks Dad.”  He paused for a moment, pondering his next question and then asked, “Is Kathryn really a part of this family?”

Jeff frowned at the question as he answered, “Of course she is.  Why do you ask?”

“It’s just that Scott said something about her being adopted.”

Realization dawned on the father’s face.  Jeff pulled fully away from John so that he could look at his son’s face.  “Kathryn is a very special part of this family.  Even though I adopted her when I married Mom, it doesn’t make any difference to me.  _All_ of you are special to me.”  He smiled slightly.  “I’m proud of you, John.”

John frowned and asked, “Why?”

Jeff didn’t really know how to answer that except, “For just being you.”  John smiled finally and the Tracy patriarch felt a small part of his heart start to heal.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

The family began to heal together after Jeff started to work at being a better father to his sons.  January soon passed into February and then to March.  During that time, things around the Tracy home in Kansas became a thriving place and Andy felt better at the conversation he’d had with his brother-in-law earlier in the year.

Slowly, Jeff began to warm up to the idea of raising his sons.  His plan of having rescue equipment also developed nicely and toward the end of the month of March, he made another trip south to Australia and the island home he was building.  Scott, wondering what was so interesting in the Southern hemisphere, asked the billionaire after he came back.

“Dad, what’s so interesting in Australia?”

Jeff placed his travel bag down and looked toward his eldest son.  “You know that I’m thinking about setting up an office in Australia somewhere.”

“But Trish won’t say anything about that.  She said that you wouldn’t like me asking about work.”

Jeff cleared his throat and shot the boy a warning look.  “What has gotten you so interested in Tracy Enterprises?”  Scott shrugged.  “Are you going to give me a verbal answer rather than that shrug?”

Scott shrugged again before shifting from one foot to the other.  He lifted his eyes up to look up at his father before quickly lowering them again.  “Maybe I just want to know what it’s like in another country.  We haven’t been anywhere since…” the thirteen-year-old trailed.  He was about to mention the last family vacation the Tracys had taken, but didn’t want to dredge up the painful memories of losing Lucy.

Jeff ran a hand over his chin.  He realised what Scott was talking about as soon as Scott had trailed in his last sentence.  “Australia is not that much different from some of the places we’ve visited son.  Maybe a little warmer in parts.  But that’s not really what you’re interested in.  Is it?”

Scott started to nod, as if to say that it was all he did want to know about before stopping and then slowly shaking his head.  “Dad, that island you bought.  Is it somewhere in the Pacific?”

The older Tracy smiled.  “You’re smarter than you let on sometimes.”

“I learnt from the best.”  Scott directed this at his feet.  He’d learnt to ‘coast’ through things, playing down what he knew to act ‘cool’.  Just as he’d seen Kathryn (and Jeff) do on occasion.

The father in Jeff noticed.  He sighed.  “You thinking of Kathryn?”

Scott nodded.  “Yeah.  It hasn’t been the same without her this year.”

“You’re right.  Things around here haven’t been the same but that’s what happens when you grow up.  And do you want to know something else?”  Jeff stopped and looked Scott in the eye.  In that moment, Scott had a puzzled expression on his face that reminded the father of Lucy.  He felt his heart constrict and he was forced to take a deep breath.  “Susan was right.  Children grow up so fast.”

Scott gave his dad a shaky smile.  “I hope not too fast that we don’t need you Dad.”

Jeff nodded slowly.  “I don’t want you growing up that fast either son.”  The troubling thing was the father felt that the time had passed him by when it came to Kathryn.  It truly seemed that the eighteen year old had done just what Susan had said six months before.  Jeff’s opinion no longer mattered to her and had decided to cut him out of her life – or at least as much as she could while still keeping in touch with the rest of the family.  He sighed and ruffled his son’s hair.  “So what do you want for your birthday?”

The teen’s eyes widened and he realised that it was nearly April.  And on the 4th of April came his birthday.  “I don’t know.  It’ll be nice if Kathryn could come.  But…” the teen sighed.  “Whatever you get me would be great Dad.”

“Okay.”  Scott ran off just as Virgil came up the stairs with the mail, looking for Jeff.  There was one letter that the boy was turning over in his hand and frowning at.  “What do you have there, son?”

“A letter from Katie, but it’s not from the army base,” Virgil replied, handing over the rest of the mail.  “Here’s the rest of the mail.”  He took one last look at the letter from his sister before handing it to Jeff.  “It’s for you.”

Jeff frowned and took the letter from his middle child.  “Thank you, Virgil.”  The eleven year old looked expectantly up at his father and Jeff smiled.  Tucking the other mail under his arm (he’d had a look through and most of the mail were bills), he opened the letter from Kathryn.

‘3-22-2026 Dad,

‘I just thought I would let you know that my preliminary training is complete.  Actually, I still have about a week to go, but by the time you get this, I probably would be finished.  From what I hear from Scott, John, and Virg, things are better at home now.  That’s good.  At least you’re paying more attention to them now.

‘Things are going okay for me here.  I do miss the family but it hasn’t been that long yet.  It’s good to get the chance to be out on my own actually.  Anyway, I’m going to try and make it back to see the family at the end of the month after my training’s over.  Although I have so much more to learn.  There is some leave that I’m taking but I don’t know where my next orders will take me.  I’ll probably be stationed here for another six months to further my expertise, and it is a challenge, but the unit I’ve been working with finish next week.  So I may see you or I may not.  I’ll try to come back, if only for a few days.  Anyway, I’ve got to say happy birthday to my kid brother, don’t I?

‘How are things going on the island?  You did mention that you’re going to try and have things completed by the summer.  Is it still going to happen or what?  I bet once Scott finds out you’re all moving to a remote island, he’s going to want to get his pilot’s licence as soon as he can over getting his car licence.  Not so sure about the others though.  You might want to invest some money into lessons for them once you do decide to move.  On that note, Dad.  Why an island?  I know you said it was to get away from everything, but come on!  You’re going to the middle of nowhere and I won’t be able to send the boys letters like I used to.  What’s the real reason for you moving to an island?

‘Must go now, lights are out in 10 minutes and I want to make sure I get this sent off first thing in the morning.  Give my love to Uncle Andy and my brothers.  Hopefully I’ll see you in a few weeks.

‘Kathryn.’

Jeff was surprised to say the least and looked toward Virgil.  Virgil looked back at his father.  “What did she say, Dad?”

“Well, she says she’s finished her training and is ready to be deployed somewhere.”

“Does that mean she could go somewhere where there’s fighting?”

“Maybe.  I don’t really know where she’ll end up.  We could ask her the next time we talk to her.  Shall we go and see what the other boys are up to?”

Virgil nodded and followed his father downstairs again, where Andrew was just setting up something for a game.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn placed her bag on the bed and looked around the cramped hotel room.  It wasn’t much, but for the first time in a long time, she was glad Jefferson Tracy was her father.  Opening up her bag, she pulled out her tablet and connected to the internet.  It wasn’t hard to log onto the free Wi-Fi network and get into the local phone directory.  Typing in ‘Anthony Quinn’, it didn’t take her long at all to find her birth father’s current address and phone number.  To her surprise (or un-surprise), it also listed the initials for someone else living with him.  And he hadn’t moved out of the Shawnee City either.

She frowned at that.  He must have married some time along the road.  Jotting down the number, she opened up a new tab in her internet explorer page.  She googled her father’s name and began scrolling down all the different pages that linked to the name of ‘Anthony Quinn’.  None looked all that promising.  Then she remembered that her mother, aunt and uncle attended Mill Valley High School with Tony.  She bought up that page on her web browser and searched under past students and alumni.

There, she found a link to Tony’s automotive workshop site.  And a profile for the owner.  She smiled and clicked on it.  Along with the picture (that Kathryn recognised from some older photos left by her mother), there was a short blurb about how Tony had met his current wife and had a kid with her.  Looking down at the number she had written before, Kathryn picked up the hotel phone and was about to dial the number.  Instead of calling the Quinn’s, she dialled Andrew.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Andrew had given Jeff specific instructions to meet him with the five boys on Saturday the fourth of April for lunch at the local McDonald’s.  For the first time in years, Jeff had entered the fast food restaurant with his sons and couldn’t think of the last time he’d actually been to McDonald’s.  He held Alan’s hand as he looked around the restaurant for his brother-in-law.  Andrew had cut back his role of caregiver earlier in the year when Jeff had started looking after his sons more regularly.

“Hi Jeff,” Andrew said.  He’d walked in the restaurant after the Tracys had.  Turning to Scott, the uncle smiled and ruffled the teen’s hair.  “Happy birthday Scooter.”

“Uncle Andy!” Scott complained.

Jeff looked inquisitively at Andrew.  “Why did you want to meet us here?  I thought we were going out for dinner tonight to celebrate.”

“Yes, we are, but there was someone else who wanted to join in the celebrations but couldn’t make it tonight.”  Andrew cast his eyes around the restaurant and spotted a uniformed girl near one of the corners of the restaurant.  Jeff followed his brother-in-law’s gaze and also spotted the uniform.  He frowned and turned his attention back to Andrew.

“Who is it?”

The girl (more like young woman, Jeff and Andrew corrected themselves) stood up and turned to face them.  She saw the family staring at her and a smile crossed her face.  Picking up the package that the Tracys’ hadn’t spotted, Kathryn made her way toward them.  As soon as the five boys saw who it was, they rushed toward her and she had to stop so they could greet her.

“Katie!  What are you doing here?” the five boys all asked at once.

She gave them a teasing smile.  “I’m here to celebrate a birthday.  One of my brothers turns 13.”

“I’m 14, Kate.”

“Oh!  Sorry Scotty.  My bad.”  Kathryn handed the present over.  “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks!  I’ll open it later.  How long are you in town for?”

“I leave in about two hours.  I’ve got to be back at Sam Huston tomorrow.”

“Really?” John asked.  “Can I still come and live with you?”  Kathryn, Andrew and Jeff all froze at the question.  John gave his sister a shy smile.  “Only in the summer time?”

“You’ll have to see if it’s okay with Dad.  Besides, if you come lived with me, who’s going to look after Virgil, Gordon or Alan for me?  Scott’s doing a great job, but he’s going to need some help so that all of you can have a break.”

John’s smile grew wider.  “I know that, Kate.  Anyway, you’re probably living in barracks and don’t have a bed for me.  Dad and Uncle Andy explained it to me.”

Looking around her younger three brothers, Kathryn asked how they were doing and what they’d been up to at school.  The lunch meal passed quickly as the family caught up on what everyone was doing.  There were hugs all around once they’d finished and were heading out the door.

Andrew swiped the keys off Jeff for the Tracy’s people mover and left his own keys to a small run-around car with Jeff.  Giving his brother-in-law an appreciative nod, Jeff was left standing outside McDonald’s with Kathryn.

Jeff was the first to break the silence between them.  “So your first orders are back at Fort Sam Houston?”

Kathryn nodded.  “I still have some more training to do, but I know the basics.  I could’ve been stationed in Serbia now, but command thought it better if I was at Sam Houston for another six months.  I get my next posting then.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, I feel like there’s so much more for me to learn in being a medic.  I’ve only had six months in the army and I’ve learnt so much.”  The teen sighed and shivered.  “But I’ve definitely missed being around my five crazy brothers.  It was good to see them all again.”

Jeff gave Kathryn a small smile and fought his urge to reach out and hug her.  “I know we’ve all missed you the last seven months.”

She didn’t turn to face him.  “At least you’re making time for them now.”

He desperately wanted her to turn and actually look at him.  “Where do you have to be and when?  I can drop you off wherever you need to go.”

“I’d like that.”  Kathryn looked down at her watch.  “I’ve got to be at the bus station in thirty minutes.”  She wrapped her arms around herself.

Jeff looked his daughter over.  He frowned.  Something wasn’t quite right but he couldn’t put his finger on it.  But then, something could’ve have happened to her in the six months she had been in the army.  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Kathryn returned, shrugging.

“Are you still mad at me?”

That question did cause her to turn her attention to him.  “What for?”

Jeff swallowed and met his daughter’s eye.  “I haven’t been much of a father since Luce died, have I?”

Kathryn gave him a tight smile.  “No, you weren’t.”  She picked up her bag and headed to the car Andrew had left.  Jeff sighed and opened the car.  Kathryn threw her gear into the back seat and climbed into the front just as her father took the driver’s seat.  They exited the car park for McDonald’s in silence.  It was a while before she broke the awkward silence.  “It was hard, you know?  After Mom died, it was like we lost both of you.”

The billionaire reached over the gearbox and placed his hand on his daughter’s arm.  He focused on the road ahead and thought over what he was going to say.  The only way he thought he could make things right with Kathryn was to swallow his pride.  “I’m so sorry that I left you like that and you felt it was your responsibility to look after your brothers.  I never meant for it to go as far as it did.  It’s just…” he swallowed and felt his eyes mist up.  “I miss Lucy so much.”

The eighteen-year-old felt her eyes widened in surprise.  For the first time in her life, Jeff was opening up to her.  “Dad…”

“I know the apology doesn’t make up for the past few years, but I don’t want to lose you too.”  He stopped outside the bus station and turned off the motor.  Looking fully at Kathryn, he gave her smile.  He reached out and ran a hand along her cheek.  “I am so proud of you, baby girl.”  Kathryn wiped away the tears that had started falling down her cheeks when she heard Jeff tell her that he was proud.  Before she could wipe both eyes, Jeff caught the tear and wiped the evidence away.  “Please be careful, baby girl.  I love you.”

Kathryn nodded and swallowed.  “I should go.”  Jeff nodded and got out of the car.  He moved around to the other side of the car.  Kathryn had just closed the back door of the car and had her bag slung across her back.  “I’ll see you later.”  She gave him a brief hug and headed into the bus station.  Just as she got to the entrance, she turned back to look at Jeff.  He stood leaning against the car with his hands in his pockets.  “Dad, I don’t hate you.”  She didn’t give him the chance to respond.  She’d already turned back and had disappeared into the bus station.  But when he heard that simple statement that she didn’t hate him, Jeff felt lighter than when Kathryn first went into the army.  There still could be a chance for them to mend their relationship, and that was something to be glad about.


	4. Summer and Fall, 2026

**_Summer and Fall 2026_ **

“Where are we going, Dad?” Virgil asked.  The family was busy packing the last of their holiday things into the back of the family people mover.  Alan and Gordon were already in the car waiting for the others to join them.

Jeff took the bag Virgil was handing him and packed it into the SUV.  “It’s a surprise.”

“Are we going to the island you bought last year?” John asked.

“What makes you ask that?”  The father turned to face his second-born son.  John shrugged reminding Jeff of the last time he’d seen Kathryn.  The thirty-nine-year-old reached over and ruffled the thirteen-year-old’s hair.

“But are we?” Scott asked as he handed the last bag to his father.

Jeff smiled at the three boys that had helped him finished loading the car.  “Go on.  Climb in the car.  I’ll tell you on the way.”  The boys smiled at each other and obeyed their father without question.  Their trip with their father was the first holiday they’d been on since Lucy passed away.  Jeff got into the driver seat and looked around at his five boys.  “Everybody buckled in?”

Five voices responded that they were and Scott double-checked Alan’s.  “Where are we going?” Gordon asked.

“Somewhere warm,” John returned.  “Hopefully.  Otherwise, Dad would’ve told us to pack our winter stuff.”

“You’re right, John.  And yes, we _are_ going to the island that I bought at the end of last year.”

“Really?” Scott asked.  “We actually get to go there?”

Jeff laughed.  And then his smile faltered.  Lucy would’ve loved to have gone to the island with them and to have seen the home he’d built for the protection of their family.  Kathryn’s reaction he wasn’t too sure about.  Even though his relationship with his daughter had improved somewhat since Scott’s fourteenth birthday, she still wasn’t really talking to him like she used to.  He really missed having his little girl around.  He caught Scott looking at him.  “Yeah, Scott.  We’re actually going there on vacation.  I hope you packed your swimming trunks, boys.”

At that, Gordon’s face lit up.  “There’s a pool on the island?”

“Trust you and pools,” Virgil said.

“Yeah, fish face,” John put in.

“Shove it, space boy,” Gordon shot back.

“Boys!” Jeff growled from the front seat.  The two arguing boys stopped and looked out their respective windows with their arms folded.  “Thank you.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn really, truly, felt like crying.  July fourth, a day she previously enjoyed, was becoming a nightmare.  She bit her lower lip just as her immediate superior stopped in front of her and had a look through her medic pack.

“What do you call this sloppy work, Private Keith-Tracy?” Sergeant Will Benson asked as he stood up and levelled his gaze at the trembling nineteen-year-old.  “Have you learnt nothing while being stationed here?”  Just to drive his point in, he took out the medical list items that were supposed to be in the pack of any medic and started crossing off items he hadn’t seen.

“I have sir,” she responded.

“According to what I see in front of me, this medic pack is missing key medical items that would help save the lives of your fellow soldiers.”

Kathryn balled up her fists and bit the inside of her lip harder.  If she said anything, she was sure to lose what little control she had left at her commander.  Why did Benson always have to pick on her when it came to inspection?  It was like the man had something against her and didn’t want her to succeed.  Each time he picked on her, he found something different to criticize her and her abilities.

Benson noticed the tension and tears forming in the young private’s eyes.  “The army is not for cry-babies!  Grow up and fix the problem.”  He shoved the medical list in his hand at Kathryn’s chest and she caught the piece of paper on reflex.

Kathryn set her jaw.  “Yes, sir!”  She wasn’t about to let her commander – or the rest of her squad – see how rattled she was at the dressing down she’d just received.

“Get to it, Private!”

She jumped and looked down at the list in her hand.  Picking up her medic pack, she ran to the supply building and began to restock her pack of all the things she’d used the last time she’d had her pack out.  A tear escaped her left eye and she furiously wiped it away.  Sometimes, she really hated the army.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Scott looked out the door of the plane and his eyes widened with delight.

“Stop hogging the doorway!” Gordon called from behind the oldest Tracy son.  Jeff looked up from the tarmac and refrained from rolling his eyes at his sons’ banter.

“Watch it, copper-top!” Scott growled.  “I’m going, I’m going!”  The fourteen-year-old made his way down the plane’s stairs.  Gordon, then Virgil, then Alan, and lastly John, followed him down to the tarmac.

“Wow!” Virgil exclaimed.

“What is this place, Dad?” Gordon asked.

Jeff moved to stand behind his sons.  “Well, I guess one day this will eventually be our home.”

The five boys turned to face their father.  There were questions written on all of their faces.  Scott, who’d grown up a lot since Kathryn had left to go to the army, took charge.  “What do you mean?”

Jeff looked at his sons and took in the puzzled he was receiving from them before settling on Scott.  “You know that I am rich and famous.”

“That’s an understatement,” Gordon joked.

The family all laughed and Jeff continued, “Wherever I go in the States, the paparazzi wish for an interview from me and it’s getting hard to protect you all from them.  I just want you all safe and protected.  The only way I could think of doing that was to have a place to escape to.”

“This place is amazing!” John said with awe.

“It’s not quite finished yet,” Jeff put in.  “But it will be by Christmas.”  Rubbing his hands together, the father started giving orders.  “Alright.  Virgil and Gordon go and get a cart each from the hanger.  John, Scott, help me unload the plane.  After we get the plane unloaded, I’ll give you a tour of the home and the island.”  The boys nodded and Jeff moved to the plane to start unloading.  Before he could get very far, he felt a tug on his pant leg.  Looking down, Jeff smiled at his six-year-old son.  “Yes, Alan?”

“What would you like me to do, Daddy?”

Crouching down to his son’s level, Jeff ruffled his son’s hair.  “Do you think you can get the things off the plane?  That will be a very big help to me.”  Alan smiled at his father and nodded.  Jeff gave a short laugh as he watched the six-year-old ran back up the stairs into the plane.  It didn’t take the family long to get all their gear loaded onto the two trolleys and were heading into the house.  They left the things near the entrance and Jeff reached down to take Alan’s hand in his.  “Okay, boys.  This is the lower lounge area and games room.”

The room was long and rectangular.  Plenty big enough for the boys to spread out their toys and other games.  At the far end was a projector and some couches.  Beside it was a snack bar for making popcorn and a small fridge for drinks.

“Sweet!” came a chorus of voices.

Jeff smiled at his sons’ reactions.  “Come on, I’ll show you the rest of this place.”  He took the boys upstairs to the main living area and sleeping quarters.  Jeff’s office and the library (which were further up on the island’s peak) weren’t completed yet, so the tour didn’t include those places.  Finally, Jeff took the boys out onto the patio and Gordon ran ahead.

“Wow!  There are two pools!”

“Yes Gordon.  The bottom pool isn’t finished yet, though.”

“But still, Dad, do you think we’ll be able to keep out the water baby out of the pool?” John asked.

“Oy!”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Looking around his three immediate younger brothers, Scott sat on his bed and broached the subject that all of the boys were worried about.  “So if we move here at the end of the year, what do you think Dad’s going to do about school?”

“Maybe we’ll be home schooled?” Virgil asked.

“I doubt it,” John refuted.  “He’s still got to run his business and he wouldn’t let us run our own education.”

“So what do you think would happen to us?” Gordon enquired.

“Maybe we could see if we could all go to the same school,” Scott mused.  “I’m sure there’ll be somewhere where there’s a boarding school for all year groups.  But I’m worried about Alan.  He’s only six.  We’re all around the same age so it won’t be so bad for us.  What about him?”  John bit his lower lip and Scott turned to look at him.  “What are you thinking about, Johnny?”

“Well,” John began.  “I think at boarding schools, the students live with roommates.”

“Yeah.  So?  They’d be in the same year wouldn’t they?” Gordon questioned.

John glared at the ginger-haired boy before he continued.  “Not if we ask Dad to see if we could room together.  Or at least I or Scotty share a room with Alan.  That way we could watch out for the Sprout and have Virg and Gordo room together.  I don’t mind sharing with someone else.  What about you, Scott?”

Scott thought about it.  “That’s not a bad idea Johnny.  But it’ll be better if I could room with Alan.  That way, I can be responsible for him.”

Jeff, having heard his older four boys talking in Scott’s room, entered.  “Alright boys.  Time for bed.”  His three middle sons exited Scott’s room and went to their own rooms.  Jeff moved over to Scott’s bed just as his eldest son climbed into bed.  “Don’t worry about what’s going to happen about school, Scott.  I’ll sort everything out.  _Next_ year.  We won’t be moving here until next summer.”

Scott smiled.  “Thanks, Dad.  When you do, could you look for schools where all of us could go?”

“I’ll find the best school I can for all of you.  Now go to sleep.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Andrew had returned to full-time work and had moved out of the Tracy home in Olathe.  He was pleased that Jeff had taken the boys on vacation and was spending more time with them.  Sighing, he entered his apartment and looked around.  Things were going to be quiet for him, not living with the five boys anymore.  But he didn’t want to replace their father.  He moved over to the phone he recently had hooked up and started the messages playing.  The first message played and the man smiled at hearing Gordon Tracy’s voice issuing from the speaker.

_“Hi, Uncle Andy.  It’s Gordon.  You should see this place!  Dad’s got his own island and there’s two pools!  Anyway, Dad thought you’d want to know we’re having a great time.  We’ll see you when we get back to Olathe.  Bye!”_

The second message was from Susan and Andrew decided that it was about time he went out and visited his sister and family.  It had been a while since he’d seen Susan, Ryan, Jayden, Mason or Harper.  The last message was from one of his friends.  The phone rang.

Andrew frowned and moved to pick up the receiver.  “Andrew speaking.”

_“Hi, Uncle Andy.”_

“Katie?  Is everything alright?”  There was a long pause on the other end and Andrew was almost afraid that his niece had gone from the other end.  “Kate?”

 _“I’m here.”_   He heard her sigh and frowned when he thought he heard her bite back a sob.

“What happened?”

_“I really hate it here.”_

Andrew would have laughed if he hadn’t heard the desperation in her voice.  “Well, I did try and warn you, kiddo.  But there’s nothing much I can do about it, is there?”

 _“No, but…”_  She stopped for a moment and Andrew desperately wanted to give her a hug.  _“I should learn to live with it, shouldn’t I?  It’s just that the commander really hates me.  Sergeant Benson always picks on me and makes an example of me, Uncle Andy.  It’s prejudice!  Why does he always pick on me?  It’s unfair, rude and typical of a male.  Don’t men know that women can do just the same things as men and just as well?”_

“Perhaps all Sergeant Benson is after is the best possible and most highly trained soldiers on duty.  He might just be trying to get you to go over and above what you think you can possibly do.”

 _“I don’t see it that way,”_ she complained.  _“Why are you on his side?”_

Andrew snorted slightly.  “If I’m on anybody’s side, kiddo, it’s yours.”

_“Uncle Andy, are you laughing at me?”_

“Now why would I do that?”

 _“I don’t know.”_   There was another pause and then he heard Kathryn say, _“I’ve got to go.  There’s someone else waiting for the phone.  Love you.”_

“Love you too.  Bye.”  Andrew sighed and hung up the phone after he heard the dial tone.  Looking toward the ceiling, he sent a small prayer up for the safety of his niece.  There was something else off about Kathryn, but he wasn’t too sure if it was because she still wasn’t talking much with Jeff or if she was hiding something else.  Sighing, Andrew didn’t know which was worse.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

The rest of the summer holidays went by fast for Jeff and the boys and soon the new school year started.  Scott had taken his new role as chief helper for his father and looked after his brothers after school until Jeff arrived home at 4:30pm to start cooking dinner.  The five boys enjoyed seeing more of their father and thrived under his attention.  It was October before Scott raised the question with Jeff what the plans were for moving to the island home.

“As I said back on the island, Scooter, we won’t be moving until next July.”

“Does Kathryn know about the island?”

Jeff turned briefly to take in Scott’s questioning gaze.  “Sure.  Someone told her before I could.”  The two of them were busy in the kitchen making dinner.  “How was school today?”

“It went well.”  Scott cut up the carrots and Jeff moved over to see how the boy was going.  “I thought about trying out for the football team, but decided not to.  I don’t want to make the team and then move next year.”

Jeff pondered that and nodded briefly.  “Why did you have to grow up so fast?”

“That’s what kids do, Dad.”

“I know,” Jeff laughed.  “Okay, Scott.  Looks like things are under control in here.  Why don’t you go get cleaned up and do some homework?  I’ll call you for dinner.”  The father watched as his eldest son ran off to do just as he’d said and he shook his head.  At least with five boys, Jeff was sure he wouldn’t have a dull moment.  He sighed and leaned back against the kitchen sink.  “Oh, Luce, I wish you were here,” he whispered.  For once, he was glad that Kathryn was so much older and that he didn’t have to deal with her hitting puberty on his own.  A shudder made its way down his spine.  It was hard enough for him to have recently had the ‘birds and bees’ talk with Scott.  But if he and Lucy had had the second little girl he’d wanted…  Jeff couldn’t imagine having the ‘sex talk’ with a daughter without Lucy beside him – or even helping (or trying to help) a daughter through her first menstruation cycle.  He ran a hand over his eyes and turned back to the sink to start washing up some of the dishes.

His thoughts turned to Kathryn and he sighed again.  He was grateful that she still kept in touch with him.  When she’d last called (about two weeks before when it had been Gordon and Virgil’s birthdays), she hadn’t had long to talk.  But the father could pick up that something was troubling her.  He’d heard bits and pieces about what was going on in her life from Andrew and the boys.  Yet, to his aching father’s heart, it wasn’t quite enough to satisfy his curiosity or his paternal instinct.  And there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it.  A knock came at the front door, pulling Jeff from his thoughts.

“I’ll get it!” John called out from the lounge.

Jeff dried his hands on the dishcloth he was using and made his way into the front hall.  John was just opening the front door.  “Hi, Andrew.”

“Uncle Andy!”

“Hi ya, spaceman.  Jeff.  Thanks for the invite for dinner.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

It was late November when Kathryn next had some leave owing to her.  She looked down at the address in her hand and then back up at the house in front of her.  On her way to Olathe for some down time with her brothers, she had decided to stop off in Shawnee at the address of one Anthony Quinn.  The neighbourhood wasn’t the flashiest.  Actually, in her estimate, it was below average.  That made her appreciated having grown up with Jeff Tracy as her adoptive father instead of in the dump she was currently eyeing up.

She saw a mother walk past her with a girl she thought was around Scott’s age.  The two of them looked at her strangely and Kathryn snorted.  They were probably wondering why she was standing on the sidewalk.  They walked up to the house she was staring at and she realised that they must be Tony Quinn’s wife and daughter.

“Excuse me,” a voice behind her interrupted her musings.  Kathryn jumped and turned around.  “Are you friends of the Quinns?”

She shook her head.  “Not really, ma’am.  I’m just looking for someone my mother once knew.”  Kathryn paused and then asked, “Could you tell me something about the Quinns?”

“Don’t get involved with them, young lady,” the elderly lady returned.  “That young man, Anthony, has a terrible temper.”  Without another word, the woman left Kathryn on the sidewalk.  A shiver went down the nineteen-year-old’s spine and she couldn’t work up the guts to go ring the doorbell.  Perhaps she’d have the courage another day.

Turning, Kathryn left the neighbourhood and caught the next available bus to Olathe.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Trish looked up at the sound of someone entering her office.  As the personal assistant of Jefferson Tracy, not many people made it up to her office unless they were family or someone with an appointment to see her boss.  She was surprised to see Kathryn standing on the other side of her desk.

“Hi, Trish.  Is Dad available?”

“I’m sorry, he’s in a meeting at the moment.”

“Oh, that’s okay.  I’ll just see him tonight.  Could you maybe give this to him when you get the chance?”  Kathryn handed over an odd looking package.  “Don’t worry, it’s nothing dangerous.  Just some Armed Forces’ coffee.  He told me that he missed it sometimes.”

Trish laughed and placed the package on her desk.  “I’m sure he does.”

“Oh!” the young woman said, “can you not mention I came past?  He doesn’t realise I’m on leave and I want to surprise him when he gets home tonight.”

“Sure,” the PA nodded.  “I can do that for you.”

“Thanks.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jeff heard the muffled voices from his outer office, but it didn’t really register in his mind.  He was concentrating on what Hiram was telling him about the parts he’d ordered and had shipped to the island.  Eventually, both men would be needed on the island to start assembling the craft, but each of them had to finalize things in the States before that could happen.

Shaking his head to clear it, Jeff blinked and refocused on the young man.  “I’m sorry, Hiram.  It’s been a long week.”

“It’s oo-okay Mis-mister Tr-tracy.  I can ss-sym under-understand.  I have a fi-five-ye-year-old son.  His mo-mother dis-dis- van-vanished three mo-months ago.”

The billionaire raised his eyebrow.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t realise you were married.”

Hiram gave Jeff a tight smile.  “It it’s okay.  I st-still have Fer-fermat.  O-one good th-thing that c-came out of m-my mar-marriage.  He st-stays with m-my par-par-parents while I wo-work.  They ha-have been go-good to me.”

“I know what you mean.  I don’t think I would have managed the past few years without Trish or Andrew.  Kathryn was a blessing as well.”  Looking down at the plans Hiram had made, Jeff asked what else they needed to get shipped to the island before their planned arrival in the summer time.  The young genius nodded and turned back to the inventories he had made.

That day was the first time in three months that Jeff was late home.  When he walked into the house, he could smell something nice (but with a slight burning smell) coming from the kitchen.  He put his briefcase down in the hall and made his way into the kitchen.  Turning off the oven, he pulled out the pizzas someone had put on to heat.  The crusts were burnt, he could see, but easily managed.

“Anyone home?” he called out.  “Pizza’s ready.”

“Dad!” Virgil called out, coming into the kitchen from the lounge.  “Did you know Kate’s on leave today?”

Jeff turned sharply around from cutting up the pizza.  “What do you mean?”

“Yeah!” Gordon agreed, joining his father and brother in the kitchen.  “Katie’s on leave for a week.  She was helping me with my homework.”

The person in question poked her head in the kitchen door.  “Thanks, Dad.  I totally would have forgotten the pizza until too late.  Have you two washed up?”  She directed her question to her two brothers and they guiltily rushed off to the downstairs bathroom to wash their hands.  “John!  Scott!  Alan!  Dinner’s ready.”  Turning back to the kitchen and her father, Kathryn walked in and asked, “Is there anything I can do?”  Jeff was just sliding the first two pizzas onto plates and he handed them wordlessly to his daughter.  Taking them off him, Kathryn moved through to the dining room where her brothers were just gathering at the table.  “Bon apatite.”

Jeff followed close behind Kathryn with the other two pizzas.  “I thought you would have learnt to cook by now.  These look like the frozen pizzas I bought last month.”

Kathryn laughed at the jibe about her cooking.  “Army doesn’t teach me how to cook, Dad.  I eat at the mess hall.”

“Do you still live in the barracks?”

“Up until two months ago.  But it’s just as easy going over to the mess hall than having frozen meals.”

The family ate in silence for a while before Jeff realised he hadn’t said hello to his daughter yet.  “I forgot to say welcome home, Kathryn.”

“Thanks.”

“Katie?” Alan asked, drawing his sister’s (and father’s) attention to him.  “Could you read me a story tonight?”

“Sure, squirt.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

That night, after all of her brothers were in bed and asleep, Kathryn and Jeff made their way downstairs to the lounge.  Jeff sat on the couch opposite his daughter and took her in.  He sent her a soft smile when she caught him looking at her.

“What Dad?” Kathryn finally asked after the fifth time she caught him looking at her.

“You’re looking good, baby girl.”

Kathryn rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the TV.  Jeff turned it off before they could get themselves engrossed in the programme that was airing.

“Talk to me.  I want to know what’s going on in the army.”  Jeff watched his daughter stubbornly crossed her arms and refused to look at him.  “Okay.  I’ll fill you in on what’s been going on around here.”

“Scott and John have been letting me know.”

“So you know that I own an island in the Pacific and the home I’ve had built on it for the family.  It’s finished now.  I’ve had two smaller condos built on the island, not that far from the main villa but far enough away for the privacy of the people living in them.  Tracy Enterprises is growing exponentially, and we all miss you around here.”  Jeff paused for a moment to let that information sink in and then he asked again, “So what’s going on in your world?”  Kathryn looked down at the sofa and began to play around with the mat on the floor with her feet.  Jeff remembered Lucy having the same habit when she wanted to discuss something big with him.  It was a sure sign of whatever was troubling Kathryn was probably something he wouldn’t agree with.  “Kat?”

Kathryn looked up at a shortened version of her name issuing out of Jeff’s mouth.  “Army life is tough, that’s all.”

“Really?”

Rolling her eyes again, the teen returned her attention to the floor where her feet were making pretty patterns.  Jeff looked down at what she was doing and desperately racked his brain for something he could use to get Kathryn to open up to him.  What did Lucy always do or say in situations where Kathryn wouldn’t talk to her?  “I wish… your mom was here, baby girl.  I really do.”

Kathryn snorted.  “And you think she’d be able to drag out of me the info you want?  Sorry, not going to happen.”

“Never said that.”

“But you must have thought it.  Hate to bust your bubble Dad, but it’s been a long time since I shared anything with Mom.”

“Three years, give or take,” Jeff shot back.  The teen took her lower lip in between her teeth and refused to look at her father.  He moved from where he was sitting to sit beside the nineteen-year-old.  Reaching out, he placed a hand on her shoulder.  “Oh, princess.  I miss the days when you used to talk to me.”

That nickname bought a small smile onto Kathryn’s face.  “It’s been ages since you’ve called me that.”  She allowed the contact on her shoulder and teased her lower lip a little longer before blurting, “I went through Shawnee earlier today.”

Jeff ceased his touch with Kathryn’s shoulder.  It was as if she’d given him an electric shock.  He tried to keep his voice and temper in check as he asked, “And what’s in Shawnee?”

Kathryn turned to glare at him.  “You know perfectly well, _Dad!_ ”  She poked him in the chest.  “It’s not like you don’t have resources to find out where my biological father lives.  You’ve probably known for years.”

“That doesn’t excuse you from going up there to visit him!” Jeff shot back, his eyes narrowing in anger.  “I told both you and your mother I didn’t want you going anywhere near Anthony Quinn.”

Kathryn shot back off the couch and balled her fists up.  “I am not a child anymore!  I don’t need you making decisions for me.  You always knew I had questions about him.  Why won’t you let me find out?”

Jeff also stood and took a step closer to Kathryn, towering over the teen.  Kathryn set her jaw and her gaze locked with her father’s.  She was _not_ going to be intimidated.  “I don’t trust that man,” he hissed.  “After what he did to your mother.”

“It wasn’t like he knew what he was doing when he left her behind the gym!”

“Don’t be so sure about that, young lady.  Anthony Quinn knew _exactly_ what he was doing when he left Lucy beaten and bruised behind the gym.”  Jeff’s anger deflated when he saw tears glistening in his daughter’s hazel eyes.  “I want to protect you, princess.”

Kathryn shook her head.  “Dad, you know I’ll always want to meet him for myself.”  Tears tracked their way down her face.  “And until I do, I don’t want you trying to make up my mind.”

It took a few moments for what Kathryn said to register in Jeff’s mind.  And then, he realised that she _hadn’t_ disobeyed his order.  For some reason, Kathryn had not met Tony yet.  He sure as heck wanted to be with her when she did that.  Reaching out, Jeff pulled Kathryn into his arms, the last of his anger disappearing as he tried to comfort his daughter.  He could only just make out her whisper against his chest, “Don’t drive me away over this, please.”  Deciding that she hadn’t really meant for him to hear that, Jeff focused more on offering her comfort.  He _really_ didn’t want to give his precious daughter reason to stop talking to him completely.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn had returned to Fort Sam Huston with the knowledge that Jeff would support and encourage her.  Especially when she’d told him that she wanted to truly make a difference and save lives.  It took a lot for her to regain her courage to return to Fort Sam Huston and face her commanding officer again.  But it was Jeff that made her see the potential of facing criticism.  Just before she left Olathe to head back to Texas, Jeff had told her:  _“Kathryn, I can always remember what your mother said to me while I was at NASA.  It was just after she told me she was pregnant with Scott.”  He’d looked pensive before he continued; “She said ‘What doesn’t break you, makes you stronger’.”_

So once she’d arrived back at the base, she’d gone to Sargent Benson to see if she could gain her EMT-P certificate.  Of course, when Sargent Benson had heard that Kathryn wanted to get the training, he’d pushed her to see if it was what she truly wanted.

“Lives could be lost or saved by your decision, Private.  Do you want to risk the _failure_ of having a fellow soldier’s life on your hands?” Sargent Benson had barked out the day she had approached him.  Up until that moment, Kathryn hadn’t really been able to find the courage to stand up to her convictions.

“I know sir!  That is why I want this sir!” Kathryn had returned.  She was determined this time not to let the man intimidate her like he had done earlier in the year.  Benson had pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes.  Kathryn had almost broken under the pressure he’d put her under to strive to be better than the best.

“There is no room for second guessing yourself, Keith-Tracy.  Either you’re all in, or you’re not.  I don’t want any backtrackers or deserters here!  Understood?”

Kathryn’s lower lip trembled as she responded, “Yes sir!”

Benson gave her a brief nod.  “I’ll see what I can do, Private.  Dismissed!”  Kathryn saluted and the sergeant watched her retreating back as she went to join the rest of the unit.

 


	5. 2027

Jeff entered the two storey Tracy home with a heavy heart.  It was hard for him to believe that Lucy had been gone for over three years.  It had been hard and if it weren’t for people like Andrew, Trish, and even Kathryn, he was sure he would’ve fallen apart within that first year after Lucille had died.  And it had taken the actions of his brave, intelligent daughter to snap him back to reality.

At least, now after three years and four months without his beloved wife beside him, Jeff could admit that.

“Dad!  Dad!”  Gordon called out.  The second red-headed child of his came dashing through the back door of the house and ran for the protection of his father’s legs.  “Save me!”

“I am going to _thump_ you copper…” began the angry retort of Jeff’s second offspring before John skidded to a stop in the hallway a few feet from Jeff.  Crossing his arms, Jeff shot John a disapproving stare.  Then Jeff turned his attention down at his second youngest child.

“Gordon?”  So much was wrapped up in that one simple question and command.  It also helped that Jeff was sending a pointed glare at the red-headed hellion.

“Uh, Dad.  Would you believe that it had nothing to do with me?” Gordon asked, putting his best innocent expression on his face.  When Jeff started tapping his left bicep, the young eleven-year-old swallowed.  “I, uh, I accidently coated his telescope with blue nail polish.”  Gordon took another look up at his father and guiltily looked back down at his feet.  “It wasn’t an accident.  I’ll fix it.  Sorry Dad.”  With an indication of his head, Jeff directed Gordon’s attention to an upset John.  Biting his lower lip in a very Kathryn-like move, Gordon apologised to his brother.

John accepted and then apologised for his language.  “I’m sorry dad and Gordon.  Love you.”

Jeff shook his head and smiled slightly.  Some things never changed, and for that, he was eternally grateful.  Gordon would forever be his prankster child, and for once, the father was glad at least one of his children had inherited Lucy’s humour.  It made for an interesting life and with Gordon (or any one of his children), there will never be a dull moment in his life.  Moving into the lounge area, Jeff found Scott, Virgil and Alan sitting at the dining room table, working on homework.

“Afternoon, boys.”

The three of them looked up and Alan ran over to him.  Picking up the nearly seven-year-old, Jeff swung the boy around before putting the boy down again.  “You’re getting too big for me to do that anymore, son.”  Alan pouted, reminding Jeff so much of Lucy that he had to blink a few times to make sure his gaze wasn’t clouding up.  “How was school today?”

“It was great!  I wrote a story about how it is your birthday on Saturday and I get to make waffles with Scotty.”

Jeff knelt down to his youngest son’s level.  “Really?  Did you write anything in your story about what you were getting for your dad?” he asked hopefully.

Alan laughed – a sweet sound to Jeff that also reminded him of Lucy – and pushed his father away.  “It’s a surprise, Dad.”

Jeff laughed and stood up again, ruffling Alan’s hair.  Walking over to the table, he looked down at the work that his eldest and middle sons were doing.  Mentally sighing, Jeff couldn’t believe it was April already.  Two weeks earlier, the family had celebrated Scott’s 15th birthday and as Alan had said, his fortieth was fast approaching.  And in another two weeks, they would celebrate John’s 14th birthday.  “So how were your days, boys?”

Scott shrugged.  “Same as always, Dad.  Nothing interesting to report.  I didn’t realise how hard freshman year would be.”

“From what your teachers have been telling me, Scooter, you’ve been doing really well.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Jeff looked over to his other son that took after him in looks.  “What about you Virgil?”

“It was alright.  I have a recital next week for piano.  Was practicing for that today.  And Miss Wilson let me finish my landscape at morning break.”

The father congratulated his sons for their hard work.  “So what do you say about ordering some pizza in?  It’s been a long day and from what you’ve told me, I think someone needs to be some cheering up.”

Three boys looked up at their father in surprise and joy.  “Really dad?  Can I have Hawaiian?” Alan asked.

“You always want Hawaiian, Sprout,” Scott said affectionately to his baby brother.  “Oh, Dad.  A package came for you today from Katie.  I left it on the kitchen bench.”

“Thanks son.  I’ll get it in a moment.”

It was later that night after Jeff had put his sons to bed that he went back to open up the package from Kathryn.  Normally, the young woman (Jeff couldn’t really think of Kathryn as his little girl anymore) didn’t send packages back to the family, unless it was for somebody’s birthday.  Yet, he didn’t think that the current package he held was a gift for his birthday.  If he could recall correctly, Kathryn had included his present in with the package she had sent home for Scott’s fifteenth birthday.

Jeff sat on the edge of his bed and turned the package over.  He carefully opened the parcel and smiled at the wrapped gift inside.  Pulling it out, he saw a card on the outside.  With John’s name on it.  He laughed at that.  So the parcel wasn’t exactly for him, but for him to put into safekeeping.  Taking one last look in the box, Jeff noticed that there was a note at the bottom of it.  He placed John’s parcel on the bed and reached in to retrieve the note.

_“Dad, I was going to send this next week but I’ve been given orders.  I’m shipping to Serbia on the 16 th.  The Terror Wars are getting worse and they need additional 68W’s over there.  It doesn’t matter to command that I haven’t finished my EMT-P course yet, but they’ll make sure that I complete it in time.  Sorry this is such short notice.  I’ll try keep safe.  I thought I wouldn’t get my next orders until after Independence Day.  Have a great birthday.  Tell my brothers that I love them.  Kathryn._

_“PS.  I’ve been meaning to say, Dad.  I love you too.”_

The note slipped from Jeff’s hand.  The 16th was only two days away.  And the following day was his birthday.  He felt his heart constrict.  How was he going to be able to enjoy his birthday now with the knowledge that his only little girl was in some war zone with every possibility that she could be injured?

It is safe to say, he didn’t get much sleep that night.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

With Kathryn being stationed overseas, Jeff found himself really working hard to get things sorted out at Tracy Enterprises and on the Island.  Having decided that it would make more sense to build the main headquarters for Tracy Enterprises in Manhattan (while still working out of the Olathe or Kansas City offices); Jeff found it was a distraction he could work on that took his mind off endless worrying.

It was a week or two after John’s birthday that Andrew realised something was off.  Andrew made sure that he touched base with the family once a week to see how everyone was doing.  On the second Saturday after the family had celebrated John turning fourteen, Jeff had been caught a few times not paying attention to the boys.  When Andrew took a closer look, the 38-year-old could spot new worry lines forming around Jeff’s eyes.

“Scott, your dad and I are just going for a walk.  Could you watch your brothers?”

Both John and Scott (who also had picked up something wasn’t right with their father) nodded.  “We’ll watch them,” John replied for the two of them.

“Thanks, boys.”

The two adults left the house and Andrew pulled Jeff along the street for a few minutes before asking, “What is it?”

It took Jeff several attempts to reply, and when he did eventually voice the problem, Andrew had trouble hearing him.  “Andy, Kate’s in Serbia.”

“She’s an army medic, Jeff,” Andrew returned once he’d deciphered what his brother-in-law was saying.  “Do you expect her to always be stationed at Fort Sam Houston?”

“On the front like.  That’s where the Terror Wars are being fought.”

“Hate to ruin your parade, but I checked what orders our Katie could get.  She won’t be on the front line.”

Jeff stopped walking beside his brother-in-law and stared at him.  “How can you be so sure?”

“Because we’ve got to have faith in that girl.  She’s been training to go into dangerous situations for the last two years.”  Andrew sighed and asked, “Have you told the boys where she is?”

Jeff shook his head.  “I haven’t had the heart to let them know she’s gone overseas.  Scott and John have enough on their plates and the younger ones won’t really understand what’s going on.”

Andrew refrained from rolling his eyes.  “They know and understand more than they let on.  You and Luce have some bright young boys there.”  He continued walking with Jeff for another half a block before he commented.  “I’ve only been in and out occasionally during the week and I picked up that something was wrong.  What makes you think that the boys haven’t picked up something is wrong?  Especially the older two.  Scott’s worried about you.”

Jeff glowered at the younger man.  “You think you’ve got all the answers, don’t you?”

Andrew stopped suddenly and balled up his fist.  “We both know I don’t Jeff.  If I had my way, I would have taken those kids and moved to California.  Then, I would have proceeded to have lost it and the boys would’ve ended up in the system and then where would we be?”

The billionaire rolled his eyes.  “You would never have done that.  Kathryn wouldn’t have gone along with you.”

“No, she wouldn’t have.”

“Are you this much of an annoyance all the time?”

The 38-year-old smirked.  “Why do you think I never got married?  Or why Susan and Ryan haven’t moved back to Shawnee or Olathe?”

Jeff laughed slightly, but he couldn’t fully appreciate the moment.  “You used to drive Lucy up the wall.”

Andrew nodded slightly.  “I did.  Though I loved her, I wasn’t all that nice or supportive of her.  Back in the day.”  Jeff had heard about what the man had done.  Andrew had been very fortunate to come out of an argument with Lucy and her fiery temper with all his parts intact.  “Doesn’t mean I can’t try make it up to her now.  I swear, Jeff.  If you harm any one of those precious children she left you again, there will be hell to pay.”

“I’m well aware of that.  Susan threatened the same thing.”  The father looked along the street, back toward the home he shared with his sons.  “You’re right, though.  Scott and John can probably understand where Kathryn is and why.  I’m going to let the older boys know what’s going on.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn ducked slightly as a bomber raced overhead.  In the past two months she’d been stationed in Zajecar District in Serbia, she’d seen more death and injured than all her time in the States watching TV.  A bomb blasted a few hundred meters from her position and she ducked for cover again, pulling a fellow soldier down with her.  There were two other explosions in quick succession further off from her point than the first one.

“MEDIC!” a voice called out a few seconds later.  It came from closer to the blast site and Kathryn stuck her head out.  There were still a few bits of falling debris around, but she could protect herself if she stuck close to the remaining buildings.

Looking over at the other soldier with her, Kathryn gave a brief nod.  Jared Carter returned Kathryn’s brief nod.

“Don’t worry Red.  I’ve got your back.”

Kathryn ducked along to the next building and dryly asked, “And why do you have my back, Carter?  I thought you special op guys didn’t get involved with conflict the same way as the rest of us do.”

“Oh, you know me,” Carter returned, “I couldn’t keep out of the action even if I tried.  Neither could the rest of my unit.”  They drew level to the wounded soldier and Kathryn dropped her weapon and pack and began to pull out items as she assessed the damage.

Looking up briefly from her work, she asked, “Was anyone else wounded?”  Carter moved off to check the other personal caught in the blast.  Kathryn returned her attention to her patient.  “Stay with me Corporal.  Can you tell me where it hurts the most?”

The corporal moaned slightly and tried to focus on the young private.  “My legs…” he whimpered.  “I can’t feel my legs.”

“Okay, could you tell me your name?”

“Jenson.  William Jenson.”

Kathryn tried to recall what was in Corporal William Jenson’s file as she said, “Okay, Corporal Jenson.  We can get you out of here, but I need to know where it hurts.”

“Chest,” Corporal Jenson croaked.  “Everywhere.”

Kathryn turned to her pack and pulled it closer to her.  Digging through it, she pulled out a morphine shot, a Phenergan shot and some gloves.  Pulling on the gloves, she began talking to Jenson.  “I’ve got a morphine shot here, Corporal.  It should help with the pain.”  She ripped the package open and prepped the corporal’s shoulder for the morphine shot before giving it to him.  “Is there anywhere else that hurts?  Can you see me?”

“Just.  What happened?  Why is it so cold?”

“You’re going into shock, Corporal.”  Looking around, Kathryn grabbed the blanket she’d pulled out from her pack first.  She wrapped this around her patient.  “We’re going to get you out of here, don’t worry.  I’m going to give you a Phenergan shot so we can get you back to base.”  Looking back up at the two other soldiers that she knew were in the area, she pursed her lips.  Damn it, why did the bombs have to go off so close to their home base and nowhere close to the front lines?  Pulling off her gloves, she reached into her back once more and pulled out her lightweight emergency stretcher.  “Corporal, we’re going to get you on this stretcher as safely as we can.  I don’t want to damage your back or neck any more than what’s already been done.  Once we get you inside, I’ll get your treatment started.”  She looked up just as Carter and the other soldier were returning to her side.

“He’s the only one alive.  The rest are dead.”

Kathryn didn’t want to ask how many ‘rest’ meant.  “Shit.  Why?” she asked again.  Carter thought those two simple words summed up the situation well.  “Okay.  Let’s get the corporal back to the med centre.  Corporal, there is no way I’m going to let you die on me.”

Both soldiers with her admired the teen’s fire and felt her sentiments.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Scott and John, who had been told that their sister was stationed in Serbia, felt that they needed the move to their Pacific getaway to get their minds off Kathryn’s situation.  Jeff tended to agree with them.  Kathryn rarely had time to send them updates, but when she did, all the family were thankful to hear any news.  And the times between updates, Jeff told the boys, “No news is good news.”

The end of school came in June, and with it, Alan’s seventh birthday.  And a week later, when the family would have celebrated Kathryn’s twentieth birthday, Jeff was loading the last of their things into the aircraft that would take them to their new home.  Over the two months since the billionaire had admitted to his oldest two sons where Kathryn had been stationed, he had taken a few trips back to the island and with it, a far bit of their gear as well.

“Dad,” Gordon asked as Jeff entered the aircraft.

“Yes, son?” Jeff asked as he pulled close the aircraft door.

“Will we come back to Kansas?”

Jeff turned and looked over to his second youngest child and was reminded sharply of Kathryn.  There was so much trust and love in Gordon’s eyes that the father knew he couldn’t lie to his son.  “Of course we will.  I’m not selling the house.  And remember, I still own the farm that belonged to your grandparents.”

Gordon was satisfied with that answer.  “So when are we getting to the Island?”

“It’s about a five hour flight.  Go strap yourselves in.  And could you ask Scott if he wants to be co-pilot.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Hiram Hackenbacker and his son, Fermat, had been living on Tracy Island for nearly a month when they met the five sons of Jefferson Tracy for the first time.  It didn’t take the boys long to include Fermat in their activities and seeing how the boys got along, Hiram was not as nervous about letting his son go off to boarding school in the fall.  Jeff also noticed and was pleased with his sons.  He thought he’d found the perfect friend in the older Hackenbacker, and it looked like his youngest son would also gain a good friend in Fermat.  By the time the summer was out (Jeff had mentioned he’d found a school for all six boys to attend together), Alan had nicknamed Hiram “Brains.”

As the seven-year-old had explained it to him, “Well, you’re brainy and you’re not afraid to use it.  And your mouth can’t keep up with how fast you think, and I think that’s why you stutter.  Same is true of Fermat.  But there can only be one Brains at a time, right?”

Hiram had blushed at the praise of the seven-year-old and had allowed the boy to call him ‘Brains’.  The rest of the family soon followed.  By the time the end of summer came, Jeff could hardly recall calling Brains anything else.  The nickname was so fitting that he hadn’t questioned where it had come from.  But it wasn’t names that had kept Jeff awake that last summer night before taking his boys and Fermat to their new boarding school the next day.

It was a question from John.  _“Dad, you’re not sending us to boarding school because you don’t want us right?”_

When Jeff had heard that question, his heart almost broke.  He was transported back to the previous year and the big argument he’d had with Andrew.  _“No, John.  I love you too much to ever give you away.  I just want you to have a normal life and best education you can have.  I can’t give you that on an island.”_

_“So you’ll come and get us for Thanksgiving?”_

_“I promise, Starman.”_   Jeff had stayed with John until the boy had fallen asleep before he returned to his own suite.  It wasn’t until three am that he had fallen asleep.  He really didn’t want to send his boys away, but he knew he couldn’t give them the best education he wanted for them and also start building his dream with Brains.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

No matter how hard Kathryn tried, there were times when life really sucked.  Corporal Jenson was shipped back the States after Kathryn had gotten him stabilized.  The young woman was glad she was there to be able to save the man, but she shuddered when she thought if no one had gotten to him just twenty minutes later, Jenson wouldn’t be around.  Without even being asked, Kathryn had thrown herself deep into her work and strived to provide the best possible care for her patients.  Those around her knew it was gruelling, and could see her suffering.  Since the successful save of Jenson, Kathryn had worked on four other critically wounded soldiers.  She saved three of them.  The fourth one suffered from wounds too fatal for her to fix completely and had died on the way to Craiova in Romania.

Six months after being stationed in Serbia, Kathryn returned to Fort Sam Houston.  The Second of the Terror Wars was over with a lot of fatalities on both sides.  More on the other side than on the US and United Nations side.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Once the boys had been dropped off at school, Jeff and Brains began constructing what would become Thunderbird 2.  Both men lived off frozen meals (bought on weekly supply runs as there are only so many frozen meals one can eat).  Jeff had decided to spend two and a half days working from his office in Manhattan and the rest of the time working on the island.  Those two and a half days he offered to fly Brains back and forth.  The two of them reached a compromise that the younger man would only join Jeff every second week and use that time to go down and visit his son.  On occasion, Jeff would join Brains in seeing his boys.

In the last week of October, Jeff flew up to England for an international engineering conference.  As he was walking out of one seminar, he ran into Aloysius Parker and a lady dressed in pink.  Jeff had to do a double-take when he apologised for nearly knocking over a high society lady.

“Excuse me.  I’m so sorry.”

Lady Penelope brushed off her suit and looked up into Jeff’s eyes.  “That’s perfectly fine.”  She paused for a moment, trying to place him.  “Yes.  You must be Jefferson Tracy of Tracy Enterprises.” 

“That’s right,” Jeff said.

“Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward at your service.”

The billionaire had heard of the Creighton-Wards before.  He smiled and extended his hand.  “It’s very nice to meet you.  I’ve heard so much about your family.”  Not to mention, he had seen the young lady on the cover of a few of the more prestigious London magazines.

“This is my butler, Aloysius Parker.  He answers to Parker.”

“Nice to meet you, Parker.”

“Well,” the 21-year-old aristocrat gave Jeff a brief nod.  “It was lovely meeting you.  I hope our paths will cross in the future.”

Jeff smiled in return.  “I’m sure they will.  Tracy Enterprises is expanding internationally and London will be one of those sites.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn hadn’t spoken to anyone of her plans to visit Shawnee again.  Having returned to the States toward the end of October, she was given six weeks leave and was told not to report for duty until the third week of December.  When she had tried ringing the family home in Olathe, she had gotten a message saying the number she’d dialled was no longer in operation.  So without Jeff’s knowledge, she had made her way up to her biological father’s business the first week she had on leave.

One of the men working for Tony Quinn noticed her standing out on the footpath outside the automobile workshop.  He called out to her.  “Excuse me, miss.  Can I help you?”

Kathryn was startled out of her thoughts.  She shifted her purse and answered, “Uh, yeah.  I’m just looking for Anthony Quinn.  He was an old _friend_ of my mother’s.”

Picking up a rag, the man wiped his hands and moved out of the workshop so he was closer to the young woman.  “That would be Lucille Keith, right?  Used to live with, what were their names?  The Grahams, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.  How do you know them?”

“The name’s Tony Quinn.”  Tony reached out his hand for a handshake.

Kathryn took the proffered hand and gave it a firm handshake.  “Kathryn,” she got out, looking her biological father over.  From what she could see, he was nothing like what everyone had been telling her.

“You’ve got a firm grip there, Kathryn,” he said with a smile.  Looking down at his greased stained hand, he added, “And it seems like you’re not afraid of a little dirt.”  The 20-year-old wasn’t sure how much of her past she should reveal to a near stranger, so she just shrugged and said that life could do that.  Tony agreed but hadn’t really expected a daughter of a billionaire would have had much contact with dirt.  “So what brings a young lady like you out to these parts?  Last I heard Lucille Keith had married Jefferson Tracy.”

“Yeah, she did.  How did you know I was her daughter?”

“You look like her.”  Tony pursed his lips.  “Tell me, does your father know you’ve come to see me?”  Kathryn frowned and shook her head negatively.  The man smiled, and that sent shivers down her spine.  “I wonder what he’d say when he finds out you’ve come digging into the past…  Tell me, why did you come visiting?”  The man’s smile became feral, and she tried to back away.  He caught her arm.  “Shall we take this into my office?”

For a moment, Kathryn froze, before allowing her army training to take over.  She had him flat on his back within a few seconds, winded.  “Don’t touch me,” she hissed.

Tony picked himself up off the ground and asked, “Why not?  You’re such a pretty little thing.”

“And would you say that to your own daughter?” Kathryn returned, disgusted.  Now, she was beginning to see what Jeff and Andrew were saying about the man who’d given her life.  His intent toward her had been clear: he would probably try and screw her over like he had done to Lucy back in high school.

He brushed himself off and looked Kathryn over again.  “If I knew I could get away with it.”  And then, he began to piece together who exactly Kathryn was.  He’d broken off his relationship with Lucy because of two things: he didn’t need her to be in the ‘in’ crowd any longer and she told him that she was pregnant.  As if the ‘it’ she carried was _his_.  The young woman in front of him would be around the right age, he imagined.  “So you’re the little bastard that made that Drew jerk give me the beating my senior year.  You know, I still owe him for that.”

One of Tony’s workers came over to the pair and tried getting them off the street.  The younger man could see they were causing a scene and _he_ didn’t want to lose money or customers because of a damned argument the manager had with some girl.  “Boss, why don’t you take this into your office?  We’re going to lose customers if this is going to go on for much longer.”

“I would love to, but the little lady doesn’t agree.”  Again, Tony gave Kathryn a smile that didn’t match what his eyes were saying.  By the look of it, Kathryn would have sworn Tony would’ve _really_ enjoyed overpowering her behind closed doors.  “What would the world say if they found out that Jefferson Tracy’s much-loved daughter is the bastard child of another man?”  He laughed.  The laugh reminded the 20-year-old of Curella de Vil or the Wicked Witch of the West.  She shivered again and backed away from both Tony and his subordinate.

“It would end a lot worse off for you if you even breathe one word to sully Jeff Tracy’s name,” Kathryn snapped.  “He’s a far better man than you will ever be.  Tell me, do you treat your wife the same way you’ve just treated me?  Or my sister?”

“You have no claim on my family,” Tony declared, stepping into Kathryn’s personal space.  Kathryn didn’t back down, but she knew that he spoke the truth.  The two Quinn women had thrown her out of their home when she had explained who she was and why she was looking for Tony.  He hissed, “Don’t ever come near me or my family again.”

It seemed like Kathryn’s whole world shattered at that single sentence.  Biting the inner side of her lip, she stared down Tony Quinn before turning her back on the man she’d wanted so many answers from for so many years.  She walked with a calm dignity back to her rental car and drove off.  It was just a block away that she started to let her tears fall.


	6. Winter and Spring 2028

**_Winter and Spring 2028_ **

Jeff picked up his coffee mug and moved to his office window that overlooked the western side of the island and out to the Pacific Ocean.  All six of the boys (his five plus Fermat) had enjoyed their break on the tropical island.  Jeff had put his work – both for Tracy Enterprises and for International Rescue – on hold while his sons were around, and the boys had thrived under his attention.  But once they’d gone back to school, Jeff began to worry over his eldest child.

Kathryn had not kept in touch as much as she once did.  She never rang anymore and the letters were delivered (to the Manhattan Office) sporadically.  Reaching into his breast pocket, Jeff pulled out the last letter he’d received from her.

‘12/15/27 Olathe.

‘Dad, I don’t know when you’re next going to come past the old family house, and I guess you’re getting the mail forwarded somewhere else.  By the looks of it, you must have made the choice to move permanently to the Island you were telling me about.  You know, I have no idea where that is right?  Good luck me trying to reach you by mail now.  Or phone.  I don’t have any contact numbers for you.  That includes Tracy Enterprises.  I wouldn’t really have a clue when you’d be in the office, or even in the country, so I don’t want to try you there.  Can you imagine me calling up saying I want to talk to you and then getting shut down?  So, when you do decide to contact me, please let me know how to contact you, and how to contact my brothers.  Sorry I didn’t keep in touch as well as I used to.  It was hard being in Serbia and I didn’t know what to tell you.  I was supposed to be there for twelve months, but the war ended and we pulled out.

‘Obviously, I made it through the Terror War.  After it ended, back at the end of October, I was told I had six weeks owing me.  I came home, thinking you may be here, but no.  Not even Uncle Andy’s been around.  So basically, I’ve spent nearly six weeks on my own.  I head to Fort Knox tomorrow and I’m going to finish my EMT-P training (which I think I already have).  This next year I’ll be working on a few college papers so I can try go for the Interservice Physician Assistant Programme.  It’ll be tough and real hard work, but I’m sure I can do it.

‘Oh, I did go and visit Aunt Su and Uncle Ryan.  Sometimes I think Aunt Su sees me as a little girl still and started mothering me as if I was five.  That’s nice on occasion, but it can be overbearing too.  Because I’m not a little girl anymore and I can look after myself.  Anyway, Aunt Su, Uncle Ry and the kids are all doing well.

‘It’s always better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission, right?  Well, Dad, there’s something I want to talk to you about but I don’t want to do it in a letter or on the phone.  So next time I’m on leave, or you’re wherever I’m stationed, we should talk, right?

‘Enough from me.  How’s the family?  Is Alan alright at boarding school?  Say hi to everyone.  With love, Kathryn.’

Jeff finished reading over the letter again before placing it on his desk.  He’d found the letter the previous week on his way back from dropping his sons off at school for the winter semester.  A knock came at his office door and Jeff turned to look at the door.  Brains entered the office just as Jeff drained the last of his coffee.

“Are you ready to get back to work?” the billionaire asked, and almost grinned in spite of himself.  Although he’d taken the last half hour off, he was sure Brains had been working on some other plan for a piece of equipment they could use in a rescue service like the one they were creating.

“Yes Mi-mister Tracy.”  Brains walked over to the desk.  Jeff had slid a hidden palm reader out from just under the surface of his desk and placed his hand on it.  The office transformed around the two men and the blinds closed.  It wasn’t their usual way of getting down to the hangers and tunnels of the airplanes they were building, but as they were the only ones currently on the island, Jeff could indulge once in a while.  Of course, it was the quickest way between his office and the hangers.

“How soon do you think we can do a test run on the green cargo?” Jeff asked.

“Maybe in t-two weeks.  Oth-other than the e-equi-equipment Th-thunder b-bird Two will carry, she’s almost com-complete,” Brains replied.

“Thunderbird?”

“My-myth-i-cal creature.  Like this rescue op-opera-ation will be.  We’ll j-just help out when and where we c-can and not leave a-any tr-trace.”

Jeff nodded as he thought that over.  “I like it.  The Thunderbirds.  It’s a good name for the craft.  The Thunderbirds piloted by International Rescue.”  They approached the first of five craft they were building and as Brains had said, it was almost complete.  “It was good thinking getting others to craft the items we needed, Brains.  Saves us time and energy.”

“F-for some o-of the smaller machinery, we n-need to d-do ourselves, mi-mister Tracy.  But i-if we c-can get most things s-shipped here nearly c-co-complete then a-as-assem put together the birds ourselves, then we s-should.  N-no one will know.”

Jeff smiled over at the genius.  And then got down to work.  He was eager to get the machine working.  In fact, he was looking forward to the day when International Rescue would be able to perform the duties of world rescue.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Alan folded his arms and pouted.  It was already mid-March, and though he loved school, he hated the fact his brothers seemed to hang out more with their own friends than spend time with him.  Saturdays, or at least Saturday afternoons, was the times when he would spend time with whichever brother would join him and Fermat in the junior school.

Scott, who had entered grade ten, had little time between his studies and getting as many hours in of flying as he could to spend with Alan.  At least he made the effort every other week (and sometimes during the week as well).  John was also busy, having entered grade nine upon going to boarding school.  Virgil and Gordon were grades eight and seven respectively.  And Alan couldn’t understand why they would go and do other things on the Saturday afternoons instead of seeing him.  Of course, the second grader saw all of his brothers each and every mealtime, but that wasn’t the same.

Nothing was the same since they’d moved to the island.

Scott, on the rare occasion between study, football practice and going to the airport for flight lessons, saw the pout on his youngest brother’s face and laughed.  “Not going to work, Sprout.”

“Don’t call me Sprout,” Alan protested.

“You let Kathryn.”

Alan pouted further and shot back, “She’s way above you, Scotty.”

Scott smirked and sat down beside Alan.  Fermat, sitting not far from where Alan was, came and joined them.  “So our G.I. Kate can call you Sprout, but not your bestest big brother?”  Scott made it so it looked like Alan had hurt him with the thought.

Alan, upon seeing Scott looking upset, inched closer to the nearly sixteen-year-old.  “I don’t mean it like that, Scotty.  You’ll al-” the seven-year-old stopped mid-sentence when Scott sent him a wink.  “You’re teasing!”

Both Scott and Fermat burst out laughing, and soon Alan was joining them.  It wasn’t long before Gordon and Virgil were looking for their youngest and oldest brothers and both of them wanted to know what the joke was all about.  Neither the oldest brother nor the youngest said anything.  So the two middle brothers turned on Fermat.  The young genius shrugged and gave the boys a smile.  To him, it was good that Alan wasn’t totally being ignored by the older boys.

He knew how hard it was for him to be at the school without knowing anyone in the class.  The first few weeks he had had nightmares each night and didn’t sleep well.  After getting to know Alan and the other Tracys, as well as some of the other students in the grade two class, things had settled down a bit for the boy.  But Fermat couldn’t deny he missed his dad a lot.

“You okay, Fermat?” Scott asked, turning his attention on Alan’s friend.

“I miss my dad.”

Scott gave the six-year-old a warm smile.  “I’m guessing if you ask any one of your classmates or any one of my brothers or me, we’d tell you the same thing.  Alan, I bet, has said he misses Kathryn and Uncle Andy.”

Fermat smiled slightly and nodded his head.  He’d heard the Tracys, especially Alan, mention his big sister and uncle.  He just hoped that one day he could meet them.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jefferson Tracy made his way through the main gate at Fort Knox and showed his ID again.  It had been months since he’d last talked to his daughter and he felt that perhaps it had been his fault that he hadn’t kept in touch.  Of course, Kathryn had kept up her weekly letters, mainly in the form of emails now that she was stationed at the Fort Knox hospital.  But with him getting caught up with building and testing the Thunderbird machines, he’d only ever replied to every second or third email.  He was sure his sons and brother-in-law responded more to his daughter.  Heck, even Susan probably kept in better touch with Kathryn than him.

“Look, I am here to see my daughter, Kathryn Tracy.”

“There’s no Catherine Tracy enlisted at this facility.  There is, however, a Corporal Ke…” the private stopped and Jeff noticed a flash of insight cross the soldier’s face.  “OH!  You mean Corporal _Keith_ -Tracy.”

Jeff refrained from rolling his eyes.  He’d forgotten that Kathryn carried Lucy’s maiden name as well as his own.  “Yes, I mean Corporal Keith-Tracy.  Where would I find her?”

“Either in the hospital or out on the training fields.”

“Thank you.”  Jeff strode back to his rental car and went in search of Kathryn.  He first went to the hospital and was told she was on the training field.  After finding the training field, he stopped at the edge and looked around.  He spotted Kathryn not far from where he had stopped with a unit of new recruits.  Moving toward the group, he caused a few of the recruits to shift in their positions.

Kathryn glowered at them and clicked her fingers, effectively bringing the 10 recruits’ attention back to her.  “What is the reason for your distraction, Private Barkley?”

“It’s Jeff Tracy, ma’am.”

“I can see that, Private Barkley.  Tell me, what if he’d been an enemy?”

“But ma’am,” one of the female recruits said, “we’re on an army base.”

Kathryn turned her attention to the woman who spoke.  “And if we weren’t Private Smith?  What then?”  Without giving the recruits a chance to respond, she dismissed them.  “Think on that, all of you.  Report to the Mess Hall and Sargent Davis.  Dismissed.”  As the unit moved off, Kathryn turned around to face her father.  She stood with her hands clasped behind her back and her feet slightly apart.  She bit her lower lip as she took in Jeff’s appearance.

“Hello, Kathryn.”

“Hi.”  Kathryn looked down at her feet and bit her lip.  She turned her attention back to her father.  “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you,” Jeff replied.

“Really?” the young woman scoffed.  “You’ve never bothered before.  Why start now?”

The billionaire really wanted to reach out and hug his daughter but didn’t quite know where he stood with her.  The last few years since she’d joined the army, their relationship had been rocky.  There were moments when Jeff had thought it was going well, but other times, like what he was seeing now, that he thought things were back where they had started when she had first left.  Looking around the area, Jeff swallowed his pride and said, “Kathryn, I know I haven’t been the best father to you since Lucy died...”

Kathryn snorted.  “You only just figure that out now?”

Jeff moved to Kathryn’s side.  “Perhaps we could find somewhere more private to discuss this, please?”  She inhaled deeply and picked up the smell of coffee, Brut and something uniquely Jeff.  Her lower lip quivered slightly as she began to lose some semblance of control.

“Excuse me,” a male voice interrupted them and Kathryn lowered her gaze.  “Can I help you, sir?”

Jeff looked over at the Colonel walking toward them and noticed that the nearby enlisted soldiers were looking toward the two of them.  He began shifting uncomfortably until Kathryn leaned against him slightly, causing him to turn his attention back to her.

“Daddy...” she whispered.  The billionaire couldn’t remember the last time he’d been called ‘daddy’ by any one of his children.  He was sure it hadn’t been Kathryn.  The young woman gathered up her courage and looked toward the colonel that was now standing directly in front of her.  “Colonel Mann,” Kathryn’s voice betrayed none of her inner turmoil as she saluted.  Jeff turned around so he could also see the colonel.  “This is my father, Jefferson Tracy.”

Mann raised an eyebrow.  “Your father?”

“Yes, sir.”

Jeff reached out his hand to shake the colonel’s hand.  “Colonel Mann.”

Mann shook Jeff’s hand.  “You must be proud of your little girl.”

“I am,” the billionaire said.

“Alright, Corporal Keith-Tracy,” Colonel Mann said with a nod.  “You are dismissed for the afternoon.  Report to the hospital at 0830 tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Father and daughter made their way to Jeff’s rental car.  Kathryn was quiet as they made their way off base and to Jeff’s hotel room.  Once they’d made their way into the presidential suite, she sank to one of the sofas.  Jeff looked at her with a small smile and asked, “Would you like to get into something more comfortable?”

“All my civvies are back on base.”

There was an awkward silence before Jeff broke it.  “So how is army life treating you?”

She shrugged her shoulders.  “Same as usual.”

He moved to sit beside her.  “Anything you want to tell me?”  Resting his elbow on the edge of the sofa, he propped up his chin.  He studied his daughter and saw her shift slightly.  Something was troubling her, but Jeff didn’t want to push her into talking.  “I’m not here to judge.”

“Can you tell me what a dad is?”

Jeff folded his arms and leaned back into the sofa.  “In comparison to what?”

She shifted again and pulled one of her legs up and hugged it.  “A father,” she said quietly.

“The way I see it, honey, is that a father chooses not to be involved in their child’s life.  Whereas a dad wants to be and is involved with any and all children in their care.  A dad cares about the welfare of their child.  A father doesn’t.”  Jeff stopped and truly looked his daughter over.  “Why the questions?”  Kathryn bit her lip and shifted closer to him.  Releasing her leg, she leaned her head on her Dad’s shoulder.  He wrapped his arms around her.  “What’s the matter?”

Kathryn was silent for a few minutes before she said, “I saw Tony.”

Jeff kept his word from before.  He wasn’t there to judge his daughter, only to support her.  It was a far cry from what he’d been like nearly three years before when Kathryn first decided to go into the army.  “And?”

“Daddy, he was horrible.”

“How can I help?”

The young corporal bit her lip again.  “Just...  I don’t know.  Give me time?  Let me work out how to go forward from here.”  She sighed and pulled away from him.  “So how are my brothers?”

Jeff allowed the change of conversation.  “They’re doing fine.  Scott and John look out for the younger ones and they’re all doing fine.”

“So where do they go to school?”

“The Roosevelt School of Learning for Boys, in Florida.  It was the only boarding school I could find that goes from grade two to graduation.”

Kathryn nodded.  “Did you think about home schooling?”

Jeff gave his daughter a tired smile.  “I did.  But being a single father and having to run a multi-billion dollar company restricts my time somewhat.  Especially living in a remote place like Tracy Island.”

“Oh, so you’re calling it Tracy Island now?”

“Don’t get cocky,” he shot back.  “At the moment, I have one employee and his son also living on the island with the boys and me.  Brains is working on a project for me and neither of us has the time to spend trying to keep two boys under eight out of trouble.”

Kathryn shook her head.  “Dad, boarding school may be the solution for Scott, John and Virgil.  They can cope.  But Gordon and Alan are still young.  All they want is to know that you treasure them.  Like you said.  Children need a dad, not a father.”  She got up off the sofa and rubbed her upper arms.  “You asked me what you could do help me.  I want my brothers to have a dad that really cares about them, not some non-existent father that doesn’t.”

“I’ll try.”

“Give them a choice.  Find someone else to live on that island with you so they can supervise the school work and then spend the evenings with the boys after you finish your work for the day.  Either that or they can continue at the boarding school.”

Jeff briefly nodded.  “I said I’d try.”

Kathryn rolled her eyes.  “Why don’t I believe you?”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jeff did think over what Kathryn had said when he’d visited her in April.  He was sure his solution was the best, but he could tell that Alan (and also John) were a little skittish around him during the last break they’d had in March.  But he did make the effort of visiting his sons as often as he could, which was once or twice a month.  It was mid-June and was almost time for him and Brains to go and pick up their children for the summer.

He shook himself out of his thoughts.  “All set, Brains?”

“F.A.B. Mis-mister Tr-Tracy.”

“Okay, let’s see what this ‘bird can do.  There was a distress call coming out of Malaysia no more than half an hour ago.  A mine collapsed and rescue workers are hard pressed to get all workers out in time before other tunnels collapse.”

Both men strapped themselves into Thunderbird Two’s cockpit and within moments, they were streaking toward Malaysia to help out.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Scott stopped what he was doing and turned up the radio in his dorm room louder.  Virgil and John rushed into his room moments later asking if the older brother heard about the mine collapse.  Ever since Lucille Tracy had died in an avalanche five years before, each of the Tracy siblings (except perhaps Alan) paid particular attention to any other natural disasters around the world.  They all hated to see other families suffer the way they did.

_“If you have just tuned in, there was a mine explosion in Malaysia, in the region of Gunung Benum, north-west of Kuala Lumpur.  Rescue personnel have been on the scene for the past hour but there is little chance for them to get all mine workers out in time.  There are chances of another explosion cutting off the efforts to reach trapped workers.  Hold on.  There appears to be help arriving.  Two persons of unknown origins have arrived in a green aircraft of some sort and are talking to the lead rescue workers.  No, wait.  Now those two people are heading **into** the mine when everyone else has been told to evacuate.  Hopefully these two people can pull off a miracle.”_

The boys sat enthralled at the rescue attempt.  Gordon found his way into the room not long after the first announcement and soon even Alan and Fermat had joined the older boys in listening to the radio.  When they heard that the two unknown people had exited the mine again with the last of the workers nearly ten minutes after they first went in, they all cheered.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn felt bad about the last time she’d seen her dad but didn’t really have a lot of time to really think about how the conversation could’ve gone better.  She sighed and entered the first of her patient’s rooms.

“Good morning, Captain Riley.  How are you feeling today?”

The mid-twenty-year-old gave Kathryn a tight smile.  “The pain has lessened some.  The meds mess with my head though.”

Kathryn gave the man a smile.  “Well, I don’t think you thought you’d go down with appendicitis.”

“I’ll give you that.”

“Well,” she said, picking up the medical chart, “I’ll get you something for the pain.  Hopefully we’ll be able to get you up out of that bed this afternoon.”

“You sure about that, Corporal?”

Kathryn nodded.  “We want you back out serving our country as soon as possible.  And for that to happen, we need you on your feet.  The longer you stay in that bed, the longer your recovery time will be.”

The captain shifted slightly and watched as Kathryn got him some pain meds and a glass of water.  “Thanks, nurse.”

“That I take offense to, Captain,” Kathryn shot back, a small frown forming on her face.  “I’m a medic, not a nurse.  Otherwise I wouldn’t be in this uniform.”  She looked at him and realized he wanted to ask her something.  “What would you like to ask me, Captain Riley?”

“Were you the reason Jefferson Tracy came to the base a few months ago?”

The young medic sighed.  “Yes.”  She didn’t elaborate.  “I have some more rounds to do, but I’ll be back in to see you after lunch to get you up out of that bed.”  Turning, she left the captain smirking behind her.  She made her way down the hallway and shook her head.  It was going to be a long day.  In fact, the last few months had been long.

“Corporal Tracy!”

“ _Keith_ -Tracy,” Kathryn corrected underneath her breath, but she turned anyway.

“Did you hear the news?  About that mine disaster in Malaysia or somewhere?”

“Did we have personal in the area?”

“No.”

Kathryn refrained from rolling her eyes.  She didn’t keep up with all the news (locally, nationally and internationally) unless it was something involving armed personal.  “Then I’m afraid I didn’t.  I need to get back to work.”

It was much later in the day when she remembered the comment and frowned.  What was it about the mine collapse that triggered something in her?  A flash of snow flickered across her memory.  Her desperately trying to find Gordon, Alan and her mom.  She drew in a deep breath and shivered.  She hated disasters.  Especially the ones that caused needless lives to be lost.  That didn’t say much about her chosen profession of being the equivalent of an emergency doctor.  Or close to.

Her mind turned to her father and siblings once again.  And she had an overwhelming desire to talk to Jeff.  But after the last letter she’d received from him, she wasn’t too sure if a phone call home would be the best thing for her with the state of her relationship with Jeff.

She pulled out her father’s letter again and she felt tears form in her eyes.

‘5-30-28 Tracy Island.

‘Kathryn,

‘The last few years have not been easy, on any of us.  I know I have made mistakes in the past.  None more so than the way I’ve let our relationship slide the way it has.  It was good to come out and see you last month and I have thought a lot about what you have said.  You’ve been honest with me with how you feel I’ve been ignoring the boys by moving to a remote island in the Pacific and then sending them off to boarding school during the school year.

‘I have made sure that I go out to see them at least once a month since enrolling them at Roosevelt, sometimes more.  Each break that Brains and I have the boys back on the island, we spend quality time with them.  I see more of the boys having them enrolled at boarding school than what would happen if I home-schooled them on the island.  I make time for them this way instead of spending all of my time working in my office on Tracy Enterprises projects, or the personal project Brains and I are working on here on the island.

‘The last time I saw the boys, I talked to both Scott and John to see how everyone was doing at school.  John was nervous before I had first taken them to school but getting to spend time with me during the breaks and the visits during the semesters has really boosted his confidence.  All five boys have settled in well and have a number of friends their own ages that they wouldn’t get otherwise living in such a remote location like Tracy Island.

‘I hope to find a couple to help out around here on the island.  It is rather quiet around here with just two of us living on the island.  Other than the regular supply runs, we make sure the two of us get out to spend time around other people.  The boys need that too.

‘Imagine living full time in a remote place with just any two of the boys at any given time.  I’m sure you know what I mean.

‘I love you Kathryn.  As I told that Colonel Mann of yours.  I am proud of you, with your mistakes and all.  Next time you have some leave, please let me know and you can come spend it in paradise.  Otherwise, I will tell you go and visit Roosevelt and your brothers.  They really miss you.

‘Dad.’

Kathryn never got her courage up to ring her father.  Instead, she decided to call Scott.  That was one thing she could do since Jeff had visited her.  Jeff had updated all of her contact details.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

The first rescue went off smoothly.  Jeff and Brains had gotten to the trapped miners and had led them to safety.  The billionaire was the last one out of the mine, helping one of the rescued workers out.  He soon discovered that the man was the junior partner with his half-brother as owners of the mine.

Jeff watched the man reunite with his wife and child and turned to Brains.  “Let’s get everything stored back on Thunderbird 2.”

“Yes sir,” Brains returned.

They both overheard what would happen to the family of the mine owner and Brains asked if there was anything Jeff could do.  Jeff, not wanting to see a family torn apart because of a mistake (he had spent the portion of escaping the mine listening to the apologies Kyrano made to the workers), made his way over to where the local law enforcement officers were with Kyrano and his family.

“Excuse me sirs.  I know I am not one know international law, but I believe this man made a mistake.  The blame for this disaster is more likely to be the half-brother than this man.”

“This is none of your concern.”

Jeff tried a different approach.  “Ma’am, do you or your husband have any living relatives in Malaysia?”

“The only family we have is each other.  Other than Hakim’s brother, who was in the mine.”  It was only then that the family realized that the actual owner (and the person responsible for the disaster) had been trapped in his own mine.

“What will happen to you and your daughter if Hakim...  (“Kyrano.”)  …is taken from you?”

“Our livelihood, our lives, will be destroyed.  We will not be welcome anywhere in Malaysia.”

Jeff turned back to the officers.  “Sirs, is there a way for me see this family stay together?  I have personally seen the devastation of families that have lost a loved one, whether to death or some other way.  I would hate to see it happen to this young lady and her mother.”

The officers thought over all the facts.  They knew the history of the mine and knew that it wasn’t really the fault of Hakim Kyrano, but of his half-brother.

“Mr. Kyrano, if you and your family go with this American, and you promise never to set another foot in Malaysia, then you are free to go.”

Kyrano nodded in acceptance and started thanking both the officers and Jeff.

On the way back to Tracy Island, after Jeff promising Onaha to take her back with Tin Tin to gather up their home, Jeff explained who he was and what his dream was.  The family instantly asked if there was anything they could do to help.


	7. Summer and Fall 2028

Jeff looked over at his engineer and walked through the main gate at Roosevelt School of Learning.  Once in the main dorm rooms for the older boys, they smiled as they watched Scott, John and Virgil helping Gordon, Alan and Fermat move the younger boys packed gear into one of the older boys’ room.  Alan was the first to notice the arrival of the two men.

“Dad!” Alan yelled in joy and dropped the backpack he was carrying.  He ran to Jeff and the billionaire bent down so he could give the nearly eight-year-old a hug.

“How’re you doing, sport?”

“Great, Dad.  What are we going to do for the summer?”

“Well, I will have to work at least some of the time.”  Jeff looked around the rest of his sons and gave them a smile.  “So are you looking forward to the summer?”

Gordon nodded and gave his father a cheeky smile.  John and Virgil saw it and they rolled their eyes.  “Look out, Dad.  Fish face wants the pool as soon as we get to the island.”

“Hey Dad,” Scott said.  When Jeff looked down at his first-born son, the sixteen-year-old continued, “Did you hear about the mine disaster in Malaysia last week?”

Jeff looked toward Brains before returning his attention to Scott.  “Yeah, I heard about that.”

“What do you think about the two people that turned up to help?”

“I admire them,” Jeff said.  “If there was an organisation like what those two men did last week when Lucy was alive, then maybe things could have turned out differently for us.”

Scott nodded and looked over his four brothers (five if he included his additional brother, Fermat).  “Was it you?”

“What makes you ask that?”

“Because if there was a way for you to help others through disasters like the one that took Mom you’ll find it.”

Jeff swallowed.  His eldest son was smart.  Far smarter than what he gave Scott credit for.  “We’ll talk about it at home.”

Scott nodded his acceptance.  And then ventured the question: “Do you think we’ll be able to see Katie at some stage over the summer?  It’s been ages since we’ve seen her and I miss her a lot.”

The father smiled slightly when he noticed all of his sons were looking at him expectantly.  “We’ll see.”  He looked over at Brains and Fermat.  The genius and his son were collecting up the last of the boy’s gear and were starting to head down to the rental car in the parking lot.  “Come on, let’s get going.”

The five boys began picking up the closest gear to them and started to follow Brains and Fermat down to the car.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Newly promoted Sergeant Keith-Tracy looked around the training field.  As part of her duties at Fort Knox, she had to run through a morning of simulations with recruits just out of basic training.  She sighed and returned to the slide on the projector.  Most of the time, those not trained in the field of medicine weren’t required to learn a lot of what she knew.  All that were required of them is to protect the backs of those in their unit and if one went down, to get the wounded man out as quickly and as safely as possible.  Her job was to teach them how to get a wounded man – or woman – out to safety where medics like her could begin to work on saving the soldier’s life.

There were many more qualified people stationed at Fort Knox that could’ve taken the seminars, but Kathryn knew that the people higher up had given her the job.  And she could understand it sometimes.  It did give her responsibilities and taught her a lot in the way of command and management.  If she couldn’t get others to listen to her in a peacetime setting, then how was she going to get them to listen to her in a wartime setting?

At the end of the lecture, Colonel Mann approached her and gave her a smile.  “You’ve come a long way since being stationed here, Sergeant Keith-Tracy.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I wouldn’t have expected you to be one to stand at the front of a classroom talking to people older than you.”

Kathryn bowed her eyes slightly before returning them up to face Mann.  “I may not like it, sir, but I can carry out any and all orders assigned to me.”

“I can see that.”  Mann turned slightly and looked to the back of the classroom where Kathryn had given her interactive presentation.  The classroom had emptied of its attendees, but at the back of the classroom stood eight people.  Six of them Kathryn recognised.  She looked at her commanding officer and then back at her family.  Mann smiled slightly.  He had really taken a liking to the young sergeant and had been very impressed with her dedication to the army and her work.  In all her time on base, she had taken a little time off for herself.  Most of the other enlisted soldiers had taken at least the weekends off, but not Kathryn.  In fact, the only times off he had known Kathryn to take off were the times he assigned her to be off duty.  “Go.  Report for your normal duties at 0800 tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, sir!” Kathryn saluted and then moved to the back of the classroom where her family was waiting.  Looking them over, her eyes settled on Jeff last.  “What are you doing here?”

Scott was the one to answer the question.  “We missed our big sister and I asked Dad if we could see you sometime over the summer.  I didn’t realise he’d already organised with Brains to stop by here on our way home.”

Kathryn looked to the brother closest in age to her.  She smiled slightly.  “Wow.  You’ve grown up, slugger.”

“ _Don’t_ call me slugger!” Scott protested.

“So I can call you scooter?” she teased.  Before Scott could reply, Kathryn looked her other brothers over and held out her arms for a group hug.  Alan was the first to go to Kathryn and give her a hug.  Soon all five Tracy sons were wrapped around Kathryn (who’d ended up in the middle of them).  “I’ve missed you all,” she admitted.

“We missed you too, Katie!” Gordon said.

“But I missed you the most!” piped up Alan.  Kathryn laughed at that.  She had no doubt all of her brothers missed her to some extent, and each in different ways.

Looking over the top of her youngest brother to her father, Kathryn bit her lip and then returned her attention down at her brothers.  “So are you going to introduce me to your friends?”

Fermat and Brains (along with Jeff) had stood off to one side and watched the reunion of the six siblings.  When Kathryn turned her attention to them, Fermat shyly hid behind his dad.  The young seven-year-old wasn’t too sure about being around new people or the intimidating figure Kathryn presented in her uniform.

Gordon turned to see what Kathryn was looking at.  He moved from the sibling hug and introduced the two ‘non’ family members.  “These are our friends, Brains and Fermat Hackenbacker.  They live on the island with us.”

Kathryn realised that the father out of the two must be the ‘Brains’ that her father mentioned the last time she saw him and in recent letters sent from the island.  “So you must be the engineer Dad’s hired for that project?” she asked, holding out her hand for Brains to shake.

Brains nodded.  “H-Hiram Hac-hackenb-backer.”

“Kathryn.”  The young woman turned to look at the youngest person present.  “And you must be Fermat.  I’ve heard all about you from Alan.  Alan says you’re his best friend.”  When she saw that Fermat wasn’t going to say anything to her, she bent down to his level.  “Do you want to know a secret?” she asked.  Fermat moved slightly away from his father’s legs and nodded.  “I think that’s really cool.  You’re the first best friend Alan’s told me about.  You help him when sometimes it can be very scary to go to big brothers.”

That got a smile to light up Fermat’s face.  “Really?”

Kathryn nodded.  “I’m very pleased to meet an honouree member of the clan Tracy.”  Fermat’s smile grew wider.  Standing again, Kathryn looked toward her father.  He was the only one that she hadn’t greeted yet.  “Hi Dad.”

Jeff nodded at his daughter and he gave her a soft smile.  He decided to willingly shorten her given name to something he knew she liked.  “Hi, Kate.”

The family spent the afternoon together before the eight people heading to Tracy Island had to leave.  Kathryn thanked her father for bringing her brothers to visit and was glad for the opportunity of meeting Brains and Fermat.  She didn’t see her siblings as often as she would like, and she was very appreciative of the opportunity of seeing them.  For the first time in three years, the family celebrated Kathryn’s birthday and Kathryn was able to wish her youngest brother happy birthday in person.

But still, spending time with them at the base didn’t give her or Jeff an opportunity to clear things up between each other.  And Kathryn was beginning to think that they might never get the opportunity.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

There were more introductions to go around when Jeff and Brains finally got their sons back to Tracy Island.  Onaha had taken up the responsibility of cooking for those that lived on the island and it didn’t faze her in the slightest to add six growing boys to the mix.  Kyrano (Hakim had insisted on being called by his last name only), who was so thankful for the new start he and his family had from Jeff, had offered to do the garden maintenance and household tasks with the help of Tin Tin.

Alan and Fermat quickly became friends with the young girl and the older boys took the girl under their wing as they had done with Fermat.  Jeff was pleased about the addition to the family and slowly, the Kyrano family had earned his trust and support.

Mid-Summer, Jeff had surprised his sons with a trip to Australia.  As he had said to them back at the boarding school, he had to work at least part of the summer, but he thought he could make that up to them by spending a week uninterrupted with just him and the boys on the Gold Coast of Australia.  The boys thrived under the attention he gave them and Jeff knew that he was finally finding a balance between being a father and running a multi-billion dollar company.

Toward the end of August, Scott cornered his father again and asked if Jeff remembered the conversation they started to have at the end of the last school year.  Jeff sat down with his sixteen-year-old son (who had really grown up the last three years since Kathryn had enlisted in the army) and explained to the young man the idea behind International Rescue and the Thunderbirds.

“Dad, after I’ve finished with university, do you think there will be a place for me in that rescue operation?”

“Thank you, son.  I want you to have a life first before joining my dream.”

Scott looked down at his hands before returning his attention to his father.  “Wouldn’t that be my choice to make?”

“Yes, it would.”  Jeff thought hard about what he would say next.  He really did appreciate the offer his sixteen-year-old was presenting him.  He also knew that if he didn’t give Scott (or any one of his other sons) the chance of living off the island after their high school graduation, they may end up resenting him.  He sighed, thinking over Kathryn’s relationship with the family.  Her relationship had definitely changed with the family, or at least, with him.  “I just want you to be sure of your choice.  Anyway, there are a few years between now and when you graduate university.”  He smiled slightly.  “So how is school going?”

Scott returned his dad’s smile.  And began talking about the last quarter of school.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jeff made another trip to England just after he dropped the boys off at school for the new school year.  There was a business take over he needed to finalise in person.  And it also gave him to meet the lovely Lady Penelope again.  The last time he met the aristocrat, he had been intrigued and had thought that she could be a very good friend.  Perhaps even a contact for International Rescue.

He flicked out his phone and dialled the number he’d found for Penelope.  When she answered, he smiled.  “Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, you may not remember me.  But we met last year.  My name is…”

_“Jefferson Tracy.  The all American Hero and philanthropist.  Of course I remember you.”_

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn read over her orders for a fourth time.  It was now the end of October and she was looking forward to the new challenge that was presented with her new orders.  She looked over her small army issued accommodation and filed her orders away.  At least, she didn’t have a lot of extra things around her apartment, which always made following orders easier.  Her cell phone (a recent addition she only used while she was off duty) rang and she picked it up.  “Keith-Tracy.”

_“Hey, Kate.”_

“Uncle Andy!  How are you?”

_“I’m fine.  I was just ringing to see how my niece was doing.  And to see how you were holding up.”_

Kathryn smiled slightly.  “Things are going well here.  Army’s fine, tough, but fine.  I’ve actually got some time off before I head to my next deployment.”

_“Really?  Where are you headed?”_

“I’m heading back to Fort Sam Houston.  I’ll be stationed there for the next few years as I finish off my study.  In a few months, I’ll be able to apply for the Interservice Physician’s Assistant programme and the first year of that is in the classroom at Sam Houston.”  Kathryn took a deep breath and heard her uncle laugh at the other end of the line.  “What?”

_“You sound pretty excited at that challenge.”_

“Well, yeah.  It will be very interesting and being able to get that qualification will give me something to do once I leave the army.”

_“You’re already thinking of what you can do after you leave the army?  That’s not for another five years, yet.”_

“But it’s good to be prepared.  And it’ll give me an officer’s ranking.”

_“There is that.  I’ll let you get back to packing.”_

“Okay, Uncle Andy.  Thanks for calling.”

 _“Take care of yourself, kiddo._ ”

“You too.”  Kathryn hung up the phone and placed it back in her pocket.  Looking around the room, she sighed and began the task of packing up her belongings.  She sighed again and pulled her phone out again.  She dialled her father’s number and let her phone ring.  He answered on the third ring.

_“Jeff Tracy.”_

“Hi, Dad.  I hope I didn’t wake you.”

_“Kathryn.  Hi.  No, you didn’t wake me.”_

The young woman ran her hand over the back of her neck.  “How are you?”

_“I’m fine.  And you?”_

“I’m okay.”  She swallowed hard and then asked, “So when are you going to be back in the States?”

 _“At the moment, I’m in New York._ ”  There was a pause on the other end of the phone.  _“What’s this about, Kathryn?”_

“Um… I was wondering when the boys were next on vacation… and whether or not you could come by and pick me up.”

_“You’ve got some time off?”_

“Yeah, about three weeks.”  Kathryn sighed and added, “Don’t worry if you don’t have time to come and pick me up.  I can always go and visit Aunt Su and Uncle Ryan.”

_“No, no.  I was actually going to pick up the boys tomorrow afternoon about 4 pm.  And I was going to come down and see you tomorrow morning anyway.”_

“Thanks, Dad.  I’ll see you in the morning?”

 _“Yeah.”_   She heard him take a deep breath.  _“Is everything alright?”_

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

_“I was just wondering.  I’ll see you tomorrow, baby girl.”_

“Bye.”  Kathryn hung up with a smile on her face.  She returned her attention to packing up her gear.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

When Jeff and Kathryn showed up at school to pick up the boys for the fall break, each of the boys was surprised to see their sister.

“What are you doing here?” John asked as Kathryn walked with her to the plane.

Kathryn smiled at her brother.  “Well, I have a few weeks leave and decided I’d pay the island a visit.  And it will be nice to spend time with the family again.”

John returned his sister’s smile.

“Hey Katie, did you pack your bathing suit?” Gordon asked.

Turning to face the only brother that shared her auburn hair, Kathryn’s grin widened.  “But of course, Gordon.”  She turned her attention back to boarding the plane.  All of her gear had been packed in two bags – anything breakable had been forwarded to her new post at Fort Sam Houston.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn loved the island home.  It really was paradise.  Giving her father a warm smile, she allowed him to show her up to his office.  “This is a nice place, Dad.  I can see why you decided to live here.”

“Yeah,” Jeff returned.  “It’s nice to have you home.”

The twenty-one-year-old wrapped her arms around herself and moved to the office window.  “Sunset must be one of your favourite times of the day.”

That caused the forty-one-year-old laughed slightly.  “What makes you say that?”

“Most windows in this place face west.”

Jeff nodded in agreement and moved to stand beside his daughter.  “We really need to talk.”  He looked her over carefully.  Mirroring his daughter’s body position, Jeff looked out the window just as Kathryn was.

“I know Dad.”  The two of them stood in silence for a while.  “Where do we start?” Kathryn finally asked.

Jeff shot his tongue out briefly to dry his lips and asked, “Where did I go wrong, baby girl?”

Kathryn shrugged and found her clothing more interesting than looking up at her father.  He watched her and waited.  When he had asked Onaha what the best approach he could use to get Kathryn to open up to him, the woman had suggested just giving the girl time to start any conversation on her own terms.  Jeff hadn’t really thought the advice would work back in August, but after giving John some time to open up to him later during one of his visits to the boarding school, he knew that the advice was sound.  The billionaire knew that his eldest blond son took more after Lucy than after him, and Kathryn probably would be the same.  Kathryn moved away from the window and went to look over the objects on his desk.  There were three photos that were framed on the desk – the first was of Jeff and Lucy on their wedding day, the second was of her and her brothers the day Alan was born and the last was from the day Lucy had died.  She reached out and picked up the family portrait.

Jeff was watching her closely.  He gave a ghost of a smile when he saw her pick up the last family portrait of them.  It had taken him years to actually display that photo.  That particular photo had only made its way onto his desk in the last few months.  When Kathryn broke the silence, he was shocked out of his thoughts.

“It was so hard that day, Dad.”  Jeff instantly knew what Kathryn was talking about and was surprised.  In the four and a half years since the family had lost Lucy, Jeff hadn’t heard Kathryn talk once about the events that took his Lucy away.  Yes, the young woman had talked about Lucy, but not the day her mom died.  “You had taken Scott, John and Virgil up the mountain snowboarding.  Gordon wanted to join you but he’d hurt himself the day before that could’ve been worse if he’d gone with you.  So I decided to stay with Mom, Gordon and Allie.  Allie was only two.”  Kathryn couldn’t bring herself to put the picture down or even turn to face her father.  “Mom was just taking a photo of us and our snowman when we heard the rumble.  It was so scary…  Mom and I both turned to look up the mountain and Allie hid himself in my legs.  He must have thought it was thunder or something.  Next thing I know, I was holding on tightly to them and the three of us nearly got swept away.  I was facing Mom, with Gordon and Alan burying their faces into my sides.”  She stopped and placed the photo frame down.

Taking a deep breath, she continued, not seeing or hearing Jeff move to pull her into his arms.  She was lost in her memories.  “I don’t know how much Gordon remembers.  He got pretty banged up.  But I saw Mom go under.  I couldn’t hold my footing and the three of us got pulled down the slope until we hit that rock.  Gordon was dazed and had multiple bruises.  He hit his head on the rock and gave himself a concussion.  I can remember Alan’s screams for Mom.  I stayed with them until the snow had stopped rushing past and made sure Gordon stayed conscious.  It took a lot of effort for me to calm Alan down.  I told them to keep together and told them to look out for each other.  I was going to find Mom.”  Kathryn finally turned her attention to Jeff and her lower lip quavered.  “Daddy, why did Mom have to die?”

Jeff pulled her closer to him and allowed her to bury her face in his chest.  He felt her sob against him and knew his own tears were joining hers.  He hadn’t heard the full story of what had happened that day, and from what he now heard he was glad he hadn’t heard it after he’d first found out his wife was gone.  His heart felt for his little girl.  She’d carried this around for the last four and a half years – and he was sure she hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.

He let her pull away after he felt her cry out the last of her tears.  Pulling out his handkerchief, he gently wiped her eyes and cheeks.  He wasn’t worried about showing his daughter that he’d been crying alongside her.

“I don’t know why Luce had to die, baby girl.  But I am so glad I didn’t have to bury any of my children that day along with your mom.”

“Me too, Dad.”  Kathryn turned around and grabbed a tissue of his desk.  She blew her nose and gave him a watery laugh.  “Just great Dad.  I spend my first day on a tropical paradise and here I am crying.”

“If you hadn’t noticed baby girl,” he said without a hint of annoyance or teasing.  “I’m not the picture of control at the moment, either.”  Jeff paused for a moment and allowed the two of them to recover their equilibrium.  “I’m glad you’re here.”

Kathryn rolled her eyes.  “Yeah.  You’re just glad I’m talking.”

Jeff slightly smiled at her.  “I guess it’s both, Kathryn.  It’s good that you’ve come, though.  We’ve all missed having you around.”

She nodded.  “Hey, I’m going to clean up and get ready for dinner.  So I’m in the first room on the left, second floor?”

Jeff nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead.  “I’ll see you at dinner.”  He watched her leave the office and then he moved back to look out the office window.  His mind went over what Kathryn had just said about the day that changed all of the Tracys’ lives.  Up until his daughter had started talking about that day, he hadn’t been aware of exactly what she had seen.  He couldn’t image actually watching Lucy die.  Taking a deep breath, he thought over the past four years of his relationship with Kathryn.  And he realised that though the two of them weren’t blood-related, she had picked up a few of his habits.  She kept things close to her heart, and rarely let things out.  Like him.  Maybe that was why neither of them spoke of what they were really thinking and feeling.

He sighed and ran a hand over his forehead.  Trying to patch up his relation with Kathryn was hard work.  But from what she’d told him today, he felt that it was on the mend.  Perhaps Kathryn felt their relationship problems had started the day Lucy had died.  He was sure that was why she had just told him about what had happened four years before.  A knock came at his open office door.  He turned and saw John standing at the door.

“Dinner time, Dad.”

“Thanks, son.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

By the end of the week, Kathryn and Jeff had tentatively rebuilt their relationship.  Kathryn still didn’t divulge what she was really feeling, but at least she was opening up to him with some things.  He was still worried about her, though.  It seemed that though she was glad to spend time at home with the family.  Yet she wasn’t joining in with the boys’ activities as much as she used to – or even try and encourage the boys in activities that she would organise herself.

To be sure, Kathryn did join in sometimes and was spending time with the family.  Jeff wasn’t really sure what the problem was or how to approach Kathryn to talk to her about it.

Kathryn noticed her father watching her and the boys while the six Tracy children plus one of the two additional family members were out in (or by) the pool.  The boys (minus Fermat who was somewhere else on the island with his father) and Tin Tin were playing a game of water volleyball.  She smiled at him and returned to her attention to her book.  Jeff made his way to sit beside her with his coffee and a glass of lemonade for her.

“What are you reading?”

“A novel that Kyrano lent me.  One of the John Grissom novels.”  She picked up the glass he’d brought to her and she smiled in thanks.  Putting her bookmark in her place, she placed the book down and focused her attention on her father.  “I don’t often get the change to actually read for recreation now, so it’s nice.  And Dad, I can see what you mean by spending time with the boys.”

“So you’re not going to complain about my choice in sending my boys to boarding school?”

Kathryn shrugged.  “Not my place.”

Jeff raised an eyebrow.  That was a different attitude from what his daughter would usually present.  “What changed your mind?”

She turned her attention to the pool and shrugged again.  “Maybe I realised I’m not their parent.  You are.”

He gave her a nod and took a sip of his coffee.  “So why aren’t you in there with the boys?”

Kathryn pursed her lips.  “Dad, just don’t okay.  I want to enjoy the rest of my leave.”  She picked up her glass again and stood up.  “I’m going to go for a walk down to the beach.”

Jeff watched her leave and sighed.  John looked up from the pool and stopped playing the game the other kids were playing.

“Is everything okay, Dad?”

“Yeah it is, John.  Don’t worry about it.”

The blond fifteen-year-old got out of the pool and by consent, the other children decided to play tag.  “Is Katie okay?”

“Why do you ask?” Jeff asked in return.

John copied his sister’s actions from moments before.  He shrugged.  “I don’t know.  She just doesn’t seem the same since she went to the army.”

“Well, maybe she’s not used to living with us anymore.”

The teen frowned at the answer but decided not to pursue it.  Maybe Kathryn was just trying to get used to being on the island.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

No one saw Kathryn for the rest of the afternoon.  For the rest of her time on the island, she drew further into herself.  John, who had been the brother who was closest to Kathryn while she had lived at home, could tell that there was something troubling his big sister.  He’d always thought that nothing worried his big sister.

On the second to last night the family was together (they had spent two weeks together and they all had to head back to the States for school and postings), John had found Kathryn on the beach, sitting by the cliff face that was the east side of the house.  It was a more sheltered and private part of the beach than the area the family usually used when they came down to enjoy the surf.

“Kate, there you are,” John said.  “Dad was looking for you.”

Kathryn turned to look up at John briefly before returning her attention back to the ocean.  She rested her head against the cliff behind her.  “Really?  Why doesn’t he come looking for me himself?”

“Because I wanted to know why you’ve been avoiding us.”  That comment from the brother she was (or had been) closest to really hurt Kathryn.  She took her lower lip in between her teeth and refused to turn her attention to John.  John moved to sit beside her and started shifting sand between his fingers.  “We’ve all missed you, Katie.”

“Dad told me,” she finally said after a minute of silence had passed between them.

“What’s made you so different?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

John’s jaw dropped slightly at the biting remark Kathryn had just made.  All the times he had talked to his sister, she had kept her cool.  She had never snapped out at him – or any of their brothers.  Not unless they had really _really_ pissed her off about something.  Kathryn had learned to reign in her emotions (she had gotten even better at it since their mom had died) and whenever she let them loose, disaster struck.  Rarely was it more than a good tongue-lashing (whoever it was directed at usually deserved it – like that time John had seen Scott take Kathryn’s biology project and began using the paper for paper planes and Kathryn went mad at him).

But now, John was sure he wasn’t in trouble.  Not with Kathryn anyway.  He set his jaw.  “Well, _obviously_ ,” he shot back.  “ _You_ won’t say anything!”

“It’s not your place to fix it.”

There was an underlining warning in Kathryn’s voice but John ignored it.  “If it’s affecting me and my brothers, then it _is_ up to me to see if I can.”

She turned her hazel eyes on the blond-haired, blue-eyed teen.  There were tears forming at the corners of her eyes.  “Forget it, John.  There’s nothing you can do.”

John scooted closer to her and briefly wrapped his arms around her.  He knew that she wasn’t all that fond of physical affection, but he didn’t know what else to do.  Then he sat down and waited.  When he was younger, he really liked just spending time with Kathryn, and she liked doing the same.  They sat in silence and it was a while before John realised Kathryn had started crying.  He couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried.  And he didn’t want to stop her by saying something wrong.  In fact, he really didn’t know what to do or how to deal with Kathryn (or any girl for that matter) crying.  So he just sat there next to her, shifting sand with his feet.

“Johnny,” Kathryn began after she’d calmed down and had stopped crying.  He turned to look at her.  “Are you happy here?”

“Yeah.  It’s great.  Dad spends more time with us.”  He shifted his eyes downward.  “But sometimes I still miss Olathe.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re not here and you’ve never lived here.  Neither has Mom.”

Kathryn bit her lower lip again – and John picked up that she was mulling over her next question before she asked it.  “What about school?”

“It was really hard at first.  You remember when I called you that first year you were in the army?”  Kathryn nodded and let her brother continue.  “Well, I was thinking that Dad was sending us to boarding school last year was the same thing as Uncle Andy wanting to take us off Dad way back then.”

“But?” she asked.

“Dad seems to really care.  He comes out to visit us at school and takes time off during our breaks.  Not all of summer, but the other breaks we have, he hardly seems to work.  He spends the time with us instead.  I can actually understand why he’s sending us to school now.  It gives him a chance to focus on his work when we’re not here and then when we do come home, he takes the time off to spend with us.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

John nodded.  “Yeah.  But why did he move us to the middle of the ocean to our own island?  Dad’s up to something, but I don’t know what.”

Kathryn smiled slightly.  “I noticed that too.  Sometimes, when I expect to turn around and find Dad close by, he’s not.  And other times I would think he’d be doing something up in his office, he’d show up wherever you and our brothers were playing.”  She stood and then helped John to his feet.  “Thanks, Johnny.”

“Are you going to tell me what was bugging you?”  Kathryn looked away just as a pink blush made its way across her cheeks.  John raised his eyebrows.  For some reason, his comment had made his sister embarrassed.  “It can’t be all that bad.”

She looked back at her brother.  “Promise you won’t tell?”

“Promise.”  He made an ‘x’ over his heart.  Kathryn smiled at that.  It was something just the two of them had done when they promised each other something.

“I’m kinda feeling left out on the island.”

“What?”  John snorted slightly.

She reached out and playfully shoved the teen.  “Don’t laugh.  You’ve lived here for a year and practically know the island by now.  You know all the best spots and where to find the interesting things.  I have to follow you or one of our brothers if I want to know where to go.  It’s hard to try and keep up with you and it’s like you don’t need me anymore.”

John stopped and faced his only sister.  “I’ll _always_ need you, Katie.  No matter what happens.”

Kathryn took in a deep breath and tried to accept what the blond was saying.  She threw her arm around his shoulders and the two of them made their way back up to the house.


	8. 2029

Scott was excited.  He was almost 17 and was kept busy between a full course load of classes, a few college papers, looking out for his younger brothers and squeezing in some time to gain his pilot’s license.  Legally, he couldn’t start learning for the license until his last birthday, but Jeff had found an instructor that started Scott learning when he was 15.  And now, he had just gained his private pilot’s license.  Of course, he could’ve gotten it earlier than the month he had shy of his 17th birthday, but he had a lot to juggle.  And he’d been thinking about what he would do at the end of the next school year.  Scott definitely wanted to follow his father’s footsteps and join the Air Force, so he knew he had to work hard at both his schoolwork and his extra-curricular activities.

He re-entered the dorm room he shared with Virgil (both had wanted this arrangement – John and Gordon also shared a dorm room while Alan and Fermat were in a room with six other boys of their own grade).  Virgil looked up from his desk.

“Did you get it?” the younger brother asked.

“Passed.  With flying colours,” Scott shot back.  “Do you want to borrow my pilot training book?”

Virgil grinned.  “Sure.  You’ve probably written in hints in the margins.”

“Me?  Deface a book like that?”

The grin on Virgil’s face widened.  “If you knew you could get away with it.  And it _is_ your book.”

Scott picked up his pillow and chucked it at his brother’s head.  Virgil just laughed.

TB           TB           TB           TB           TB

“Excuse me.”

Kathryn looked up from her desk toward the unknown voice.  She stood and looked at the newcomer.  “Can I help you, sir?”

The young man nodded.  “Yes.  I’m looking for the medical reception for this place.  Do you know where I can find it?”  He blushed slightly.  “It seems that I’m slightly lost.”

Kathryn kept her amusement to herself.  She knew how easy it was to get lost in a base like Fort Sam Houston.  In fact, she had gotten herself lost many times in the first month she was first stationed at the base.  “Just a minute.  I’ll show you the way.”

“No, no, that’s okay.  I don’t want to be a burden.  I just need someone to tell me how to get there.”

“Sir, it is very easy to get lost on this base.  Based on my past experiences, it is better for someone to show the way, instead of merely telling.”  Kathryn smiled at the man – whom she would have guessed was only a few years older than her.  “If you’ll follow me, sir.”

“Thank you, sergeant.”

“It’s no problem, sir.  My mom used to say she’d rather someone should walk with her than merely tell her the way.”  Kathryn frowned suddenly and wondered why she told a perfect stranger something about her mother like that.

“Sounds like something my mother would say.”  He looked Kathryn over while they walked and he picked up that there was something veiled behind the sergeant’s words.  “My name is Jude.”

Kathryn glanced sideways at the newly introduced Jude.  “Keith-Tracy.”

Jude raised an eyebrow at being told just her last name.  “Is there a first name to go with that?”

“One you don’t need to know.”  Kathryn stopped outside the reception area for medical personal.  “Here’s the reception.”  She turned to fully look at the young man and then his name sunk in.  Sighing, she asked, “You wouldn’t happen to be Jude Paxton, would you?”

Jude frowned and returned the studious look Kathryn was giving him.  “And what if I am?”

“Then this is not the place you need to be.”

“Alright, Sergeant Keith-Tracy.  Where do I need to be?  I was told to report to Medical Reception and from there; I would meet a young sergeant who would take me up to sort out my contract with the army.”

Kathryn gave him a pointed look.  “Yes, Mister Paxton.  You may have been told to report here first but it was _my_ duty to meet you here.”  She looked away from him and continued into the lobby.  “I wasn’t expecting you for another ten minutes.”

“I’m sorry.  I wanted to make sure I was on time.”

“Don’t apologise.”  Kathryn reached the lobby desk and asked the receptionist to call the head medical officer of the hospital base.

Jude shook his head and refrained from rolling his eyes.  What a way for him to get introduced to army life.  Again.

TB           TB           TB           TB           TB

Jeff and Brains were busy working on some of the smaller rescue equipment when the billionaire’s phone rang.  He unclipped it from his belt and looked at the caller ID.  “Excuse me, Brains.  It’s Kathryn.”

Brains smiled at his employer and nodded.  The engineer knew that Jeff was busy trying to help him build the Thunderbird machines and run a multi-billion dollar company.  On top of that, Brains knew the man was a good father and loved his children.  He turned back to his work while Jeff walked a little further away to take the call.

“Hello, baby girl.”

_“Hi, Dad.  How are things on the island?”_

“Things here are going well.  I’m fine.  Been keeping busy.  Brains and the Kyranos’ are also doing well.  How are you doing?”

_“Things are fine.”_

There was a pause on the other end of the phone and Jeff frowned.  “So what do I owe for this phone call?”

_“Do I have to have a reason to call you?”_

Jeff thought that since Kathryn had enlisted in the army, there had always been a reason for her calling home.  Usually it was to do with talking to her brothers.  Rarely had she called him to just talk to him.  “No reason,” he returned, not wanting to give Kathryn a reason for hanging up on him.  “It is good to hear from you.”

_“It’s good to hear your voice too, Dad.  Um… how are the boys?”_

“They’re doing well.  I went out and saw them last weekend for Scott’s birthday.”

_“That would have been good.  John told me that Scott had gotten his pilot’s licence.  Good on him.  Did you get him a plane?”_

Jeff laughed slightly.  “No, I didn’t get him a plane.  But I did get him his wings.  I’ll be heading out to see them again in two weeks’ time to celebrate John’s birthday.”

_“I’m sure they appreciate it.  I know John does.”_

“They do, and I enjoy seeing the boys happy.”  Jeff looked down at his watch and wondered if Kathryn would get around to telling him why she’d called.  “So what else has been happening for you?”

 _“I met this stuck up paediatric doctor a month ago.”_ Although Kathryn could not see him, Jeff raised an eyebrow.  The guy must have made an impression on his daughter if she was complaining about the man to him. _“He’s a civilian contracted to work here at Fort Sam Houston.”_

“He must have made an impression on you.”

Jeff heard her snort.  _“You could say that.  I have to work with the man.  Oh, I was going to tell you I got into the ISPA programme.”_

“What’s that?”

_“Inter-service Physician Assistant programme.  I told you that I was going to put my name down for that last year.  I didn’t think I’d be able to get into the programme until after August, but this means I’ll be finished a little sooner.”_

“That’s great!  I’m proud of you baby girl.”

_“Thank you.  Anyway, I just thought you’d want to know.  I should go and do some work now.”_

“Alright,” Jeff returned.  He wanted to say something about being careful around men but thought better of it.  If any of his children knew to be careful it would have been Kathryn.  She’d been the one that had been most affected by his choices and by her own biological father’s choices.  “Stay safe, Kathryn.  I love you.”

_“Love you too, Dad.”_

Jeff smiled as he hung up the phone.  Moving back to where Brains was, he gave the engineer a brief nod and got back to work.

TB           TB           TB           TB           TB

John sat with Gordon at the younger Tracy’s desk in their dorm room.  Gordon had asked for his older brother’s help in mathematics.  The auburn haired boy struggled with Algebra and who better to turn to the residential ‘math’ genius of the family.  At least, that’s the way Gordon saw it and John didn’t mind helping out any one of his brothers with math.

“So,” Gordon said, looking up from his work, “this little x thing here is what we started with and we want to know what it is?”

“That’s right.  How do you think we can find that?”

“Take the stuff that isn’t with the ‘x’ to the other side.  If it’s adding to the ‘x’ side we need to subtract that thing from both sides.”

John smiled encouragingly at his brother and nodded.  “That’s right.”  The two of them were moving on to the next part of the problem Gordon was trying to solve when there was a commotion outside their dorm room door.

“GORDON!  I know you’re in there!”  John and Gordon looked at each other as they recognised the voice of the brother in between them.

“What did you do to Virg?” John asked.

“Would you believe me if I said I have no idea?”  Gordon watched as his blond brother shook his head.  “Well, honestly, I don’t know what his problem is.”

John jabbed the thirteen-year-old in the side.  “You’d better see what he wants, copper-top.  Else he’s gonna break down the door.”

Gordon went to open up the door just as Virgil began banging on the door again.  Giving his older brother the most innocent grin he could, the red-haired boy asked sweetly, “Can I help you, Virgil?”

Virgil pushed past Gordon and into the room.  “YES.”  The fourteen-year-old glowered at his brother closest in age to him.  “What did you do to my book?”  Pushing the art book in question toward Gordon, Virgil sank to John’s bed and folded his arms angrily.

Gordon frowned slightly as he flicked through the school book.  Even though he loved a practical joke, he knew better than to mess with any of his brothers’ school projects after watching Kathryn going mad at Scott that one time he’d messed with one of _her_ school projects just after their mother died.  “I didn’t do this, Virg.”  Both his older brothers could hear the truth of the boy’s words.  There was also a hint of sadness to the younger boy’s voice that Virgil and John heard.

The blond and the chestnut-brown haired boys exchanged a glance with each other before John asked, “What are you thinking of?”

“I learnt my lesson with messing with your guys’ school stuff when Katie went off at Scott that time.”

Virgil smirked slightly.  He remembered that and at the time had thought it was funny.  Kathryn rarely went off at anybody.  But it had taught all the boys one thing.  Never mess with Kathryn over school projects.  Or mess with any of the other sibling’s school work.  But then, his mind travelled back three months before that.  And suddenly, he felt choked up.

John had similar thoughts.  All of the boys had learnt a lesson the day Kathryn lost it at Scott.  The nearly sixteen-year-old sighed slightly and realised where Virgil and Gordon’s thoughts had turned to.  It had been nearly April of 2024 when Scott had used Kathryn’s biology project as a paper plane.  And January of that same year, just three short months before, Lucy had died.  John swallowed hard and sank to the bed beside Virgil.  Even though it had been five years since they’d lost their mother, all of the Tracy boys missed her and felt her loss deeply.

“What was your favourite memory of Mom?” John asked.  Usually, he would be the one to bring up their mom, but all the boys were glad to talk about her.

For the next half an hour, they all talked and laughed together, remembering the times they had had with Lucy and the times since, with their father.  Then Virgil asked, “Do you know who could have wrecked my book?”

Both John and Gordon shook their heads.  “Sorry Virg.  I don’t know.”

“That’s okay.  Thanks for the talk anyway.”

John smiled at the fourteen-year-old.  “It was good.  Have a good night, Virg.  Tell the dictator that I expect him to be in the dorm room fully clothed tonight!”

Gordon smirked and outright laughed at that comment.  Virgil couldn’t keep his own amusement in.  “I will, Johnny.  Night.”

TB           TB           TB           TB           TB

Kathryn looked up briefly from her computer as she heard someone join her in her work area in the base library.  She rolled her eyes slightly when she saw Jude Paxton sit opposite her at the table.

“May I help you?” she asked quietly, not looking up again from her work.

“Yes,” the paediatric doctor returned.  “What is it with you and men?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“So it’s just me then.  You’ve got a problem with me and I want to know what I did to make you hate me so much.  Or are you always so...” Jude thought about how to end that sentence and settled on, “ _cold_?”

Kathryn looked up from her work.  “Why does it matter to you?  I’d rather focus on my work than answer meaningless questions.”

Jude swallowed at the hard look that Kathryn was giving him.  He looked down at his hands resting on the desk in front of him and shifted slightly.  Returning his attention to the young woman who intrigued and frightened him (not that he’d ever admit as much to her), he asked, “Do you have any sisters?”

Kathryn bit her lower lip and lowered her gaze from his intense stare.  “One,” she admitted.

“Is she younger or older than you?”

“Younger.”

Jude nodded.  He’d looked up the sergeant’s file (face it, he’d been curious about the young woman’s past and home life) and it had said she had five younger siblings.  At least one of them, he imagined, had to be a sister.  “So I guess you two are close, as far as sisters go?  Because I need some help.”

Kathryn sighed and ran a hand over her hand.  How was she going to explain that though she had a younger sister, she didn’t know the girl and wasn’t going to anytime soon?  “With what?  And why me?”

The man swallowed.  “I have a thirteen-year-old sister.  As far as I can tell, she’s hit puberty a little later than her peers.”

The young woman raised an eyebrow as Jude blushed.  “And you’d like me to talk to her about the ‘girl’ stuff.  Why me?  Wouldn’t your mother be the one to talk to her?”

Jude ran his hand through the back of his hair.  “I’m Sophia’s legal guardian and only living relative.”

Kathryn mouthed ‘oh’ before looking back down at her work.  “So why me?” she asked with a sigh.

“I would have thought it was obvious,” he retorted.  “You’re a woman, a young woman.  And we’ve seen you around.  You don’t spend your free time, what you have of that, with anyone else but yourself.  Most of the time you’re working or studying.  Seeing as you have a younger sister, I’m sure the two of you have talked about the ‘girl’ stuff together.  This list could go on.  And besides, I’m a guy.  Sophia wouldn’t be comfortable talking to me about menstruation and other teenaged girl problems.”

She couldn’t bring herself to look up at the paediatric doctor.  “The five siblings mentioned in my file would be the five brothers I grew up with.  I don’t have the experience you’re looking for.”  Kathryn was about to add a ‘sorry’ at the end of her refusal, but decided to stick by her rule of apologies were a sign of weakness.

Jude looked a little taken back at her comment.  “So how can you have a sister?”

“Hannah’s my half-sister through my biological father.  I don’t know her and haven’t had anything to do with her.”  Kathryn finally lifted her gaze to meet Jude’s.  He frowned slightly at her and she rolled her eyes in annoyance.  “My brothers are half-brothers,” she said shortly.  Finally he understood.  Kathryn had grown up in the custody of her mother – and most probably a step-father.  Shaking her head, the young woman returned to her work.  It was a good ten minutes later that she looked up at Jude once again.  “What?”

“Could you please just meet Sophia and maybe give her someone else to talk to?  You don’t even have to talk her through menstruation.”  If it had been any of her brothers – or heaven forbid, her father – Kathryn would have found the whole conversation embarrassing.  All she could think about though, was how disturbing it was.

“You’re asking a perfect stranger to be around your thirteen-year-old sister.  And to talk about the…. _girl_ problems with her?  Don’t you think that’s a bit creepy?”  Jude blushed slightly.  He had thought over the issue of Kathryn _hadn’t_ met his sister yet and that the two of them were practically strangers.  But he’d reasoned that away because he’d intended to be with them in the first few meetings and then it wouldn’t matter.  The young sergeant ran a hand over her face in frustration.  “You’re as bad as my brothers,” she muttered as she began to pack up her study materials.

“What’s that mean?” he shot back.

Kathryn raised her eyes, and shook her head.  “Forget it.”

Just as Jude was about to question Kathryn further, a young girl bound up behind the sergeant.  He recognised the girl immediately as his sister.  What surprised him, though, was that Sophia didn’t greet him first.

“Hey Sergeant Kate.  Are you still working on that assignment?”

Kathryn turned to smile at the black-haired youth.  “Almost finished, Fi.  How was your day at school?”

“Boring without you visiting.”

“Hey, you know I’ve got other duties.  I’m only scheduled on at the school clinic once every two weeks.”  The sergeant ruffled the girl’s hair and finished packing up her laptop.  She turned to fully face the thirteen-year-old, but not before she caught sight of the disbelieving look that was plastered all over Jude’s face.  “So what has been happening since you last came and talked to me?”

“Do we have to talk about that in front of my brother?” Sophia asked uncomfortably.

“Your…”  Kathryn trailed and let off a huff of realisation.  Turning to Jude, she pointed between the siblings.  “You two are brother and sister?”  At their simultaneous nods, she turned fully toward the older brother.  “Don’t worry about what we were discussing, Mr. Paxton.  You have nothing to worry about.”  Kathryn sighed again.  She looked back toward Sophia.  “Now, Miss Paxton, seeing as we know each other, Mr. Paxton has a proposition for us.”

Jude looked toward his sister and asked, “She’s mad at me, isn’t she?”

“What gave you _that_ idea, Jude?” the young teen asked.  “And what’s this proposition?”

“I thought that it would be nice for you to have an older female to talk to.  About the ‘girl’ stuff.  Things I know you would’ve talked to Mom about.”

“Like puberty and sex?”

Jude spluttered and had the decency to blush.  Again.  Kathryn smirked slightly.  Boys and men were so easy to embarrass.  But the man recovered enough to nod.  “Yes, like that.”

“What about shopping?”

“Hey!” both Kathryn and Jude protested.

TB           TB           TB           TB           TB

It was at the end of the same month (June) that Kathryn finally agreed to spend time with Sophia at Jude’s persistent questioning.  Later, Kathryn would admit that the young teen also had a hand in it when she tagged along with her brother to the hospital wards after the school had been let out for the summer.  Not that Kathryn minded.

As she saw it, it was like having a second chance given to her to be a ‘big sister’ to a younger girl.  She bit her lower lip as she sat down on the park bench she was meeting Sophia at.

“Hey!” the girl in Kathryn’s thought said, sliding onto the bench beside her.

Jude wasn’t that far off.  “Thanks for looking out for her today.”

“Don’t mention it,” Kathryn said.  She looked over at the teen and then back up at the doctor.  “It’s not like I had anything really pressing to do today.”

“Other than study and drills,” Sophia put in.

“Oy!”

Jude looked down at his watch.  “I should be finished around 1800.  I’ll come pick her up then.”

“We’ll just meet you in the lobby,” Kathryn returned.  “I don’t cook.”  Sophia snorted at that and Kathryn shot her a glare.  Jude outright laughed.

“Be good, Soph.  I’ll see you later.”  The man left, leaving the two females sitting on the park bench.

Both were awkwardly looking around the area and not at each other.  Kathryn bit her lower lip again and wondered to herself about what she would’ve done if she could’ve gotten to know Hannah.  Sophia looked down at her feet and began to play with the dirt with her toe.  Finally, the young teen looked up at the sergeant.

“Was it true, what you said earlier?”

Kathryn turned to face the young girl with a frown on her face.  “You have to be more specific with your questions, Fi.”

“When we first met.  You said you wanted to help students like me, who don’t have mothers.  That you could understand and help out.  Give us someone we can really talk to.”

The sergeant nodded and took her lower lip between her own.  She turned her attention away from the young teen and barely whispered, “My mother died when I was sixteen.”

“At least you knew your mother.”

Kathryn turned her narrowed gaze onto Sophia.  “Yeah, I knew my mother.  And at least you know that your mom wanted _you._ ”  The thirteen-year-old was shocked at the venom that laced Kathryn’s comment.  Never before had someone spoken to Sophia like the way the sergeant had just done.  The nearly twenty-two-year-old took in a shuddering breath and ran a hand over her face.  “I’m sorry, Fi.  It’s always hard for me to talk about Mom and…”  She trailed and didn’t bother to continue.

Sophia looked at the ground and traced a pattern with her toe.  Jude had mentioned to her that Kathryn had a troubling past and he hadn’t been able to work out all the details.  All the two of them knew for sure was that the sergeant had grown up with her mom and a step-father.  Looking up at the young woman, the teen gave her an apologetic smile.  “I’m sorry too.  Sometimes I wish I had just known my mom for a few years, instead of getting stories about her from Jude.”

“I know what you mean.”

For some reason, Sophia believed her.  Perhaps it _was_ because of some past experience, but the teen found understanding in Kathryn’s hazel eyes.

“So what do you want to do today, kiddo?” Kathryn asked.  The name that her uncle had always called _her_ fell easily from her tongue.  And for whatever reason, Sophia seemed to like it.  After all, the two of them had known each other (albeit, mainly in passing) for months and Kathryn was the first adult female Sophia had let in since moving to the base.

“How about I teach you to cook?” Sophia teased.

TB           TB           TB           TB           TB

Jeff looked out over the Pacific Ocean and then looked down at his hands.  The summer always seemed to be the longest (and loudest) two months of his time living on Tracy Island at the start of July.  But come September, he wished that he still had his sons around.  There was nothing in the whole world that would make him take back those two months.  Even after a week of having safely delivered his boys (plus Fermat) back to boarding school for the new school year (and that year being Scott’s last year of high school), the patriarch missed his sons.  In all, even if he could only now admit it fully to himself, he missed _all_ his children.

He sighed and looked out at the setting sun again.  “Oh, Luce,” he whispered.  “What do I do about Kathryn?”  There were times when the billionaire swore his relationship with his only little girl (he was beginning to see Tin Tin as an extra daughter, but that was different) was on the mend.  He knew she’d opened up to him and had admitted going to find out more about Tony Quinn – and had willingly taken a break on the island with the family.  But there were times when Kathryn still felt distant.  Like the young woman didn’t really know how to communicate with either him _or_ the boys.

Pulling out his phone, he scrolled down his contact list and bought up Kathryn’s name and number.  He sighed again and looked up Andrew’s number.  Dialling his brother-in-law, Jeff put the phone to his ear.  It wasn’t long before he got Andrew’s answerphone.

“Hi, Andy.  It’s Jeff.  Just calling to see how you are and if you’ve heard from Kathryn.  The boys are fine.  It seems quiet on the island without them.  Anyway, must get back to work.  Talk to you later.”  Shutting his phone, Jeff turned and made his way through his office and down to the family dining area.  Onaha was just getting Tin Tin to set the table and Jeff moved to help the young girl.

TB           TB           TB           TB           TB

November was one month that Kathryn really disliked with a passion.  Actually, October would’ve been her top disliked month, but events of nearly six years before had made the sergeant dislike January the most and then November followed by October.  Officially, winter began in early November (and Kathryn hated the cold feet and hands that came with it) but October generally carried the first of the cold snaps that was winter.

Rubbing her hands together before tucking them under her armpits, Kathryn battled against the chilly northerly wind to her normal Saturday station.  She spent her Saturday dividing her time between her studies or working in the Emergency Department of the Hospital.

It was halfway through the day when Kathryn stopped for lunch (she’d been working on her sixth month review of her ISPA programme).  To her surprise, Jude and Sophia joined her in the cafeteria.

“What are you two doing here?” she asked.

Sophia frowned and looked up at the sergeant puzzled.  “Weren’t we going to do something this afternoon, Sergeant Kate?”

Kathryn blinked a few times as she let the comment sink in.  “We were?”

“Don’t tell me you forgot,” the teen returned sullenly.

Jude shot his sister a warning glare and then looked his colleague over.  Even though he and Sophia had been living at Fort Sam Houston for eight months, he couldn’t quite bring himself to call Kathryn anything but a colleague.  Over the time he’d known the young woman, she hadn’t really shared much of her personal life with anybody.  He had grown to respect her as a medical specialist, but he knew there had to be more to life than just work and study.

Kathryn seemed to shake herself from her thoughts and gave Sophia an apologetic smile.  “Sorry, Fi.”

The girl sat opposite the sergeant.  “So are we going to do something or what?”

Jude brushed his sister’s arm.  “Hey, why don’t you go wait in the lobby?  I’ll send Sergeant Keith-Tracy down to you once I’ve talked to her.  We won’t be long.”  Sophia looked between her brother and the sergeant before nodded and leaving the two adults sitting opposite each other in the cafeteria.  Jude watched the teen leave before he turned to face Kathryn once more.  “What has been up with you the last few months?” he asked.

Kathryn frowned.  “Who are you to butt your nose into my business?”

The paediatric leaned across the table.  “Because whether you like it or not, you’re a part of my sister’s life.  And she’s grown close to you.”  He leaned back in his chair and looked Kathryn over again.  “Seeing as her welfare is my concern, and at the moment, _your_ attitude is affecting her, then your business _is_ my concern.”  She glared at him and Jude shrugged it off.  “Are you going to answer my question?”

“Which is?”

“What has been up with you?  Why have you been so closed off to everyone around you?  And why don’t you ever let anyone in?”

She was taken aback and shot back, “I do so let people in!”

“Name one in the last six months.”

“Sophia.”

“Yes, but do you actually talk to her about _your_ problems, or just what’s been going on in hers?”  When he saw that Kathryn was about to shake her head in a negative response, he smiled slightly.  “I thought as much.  Who have you let in to talk about grown up issues?  Like, what is it between you and your dad?  I know he’s got to be someone important, otherwise you wouldn’t insist as much about your hyphenated name.  Who is he, because I’m guessing that’s where the majority of your problems are.”

“You’re telling me that my problem is my father?”

“No.  It’s not.  Your problem is that you’re unwilling to talk.”  Jude looked over the sergeant again.  “Really talk, and I don’t mean to a thirteen-year-old.”  He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  “Look, Kathryn, I’m only trying to look out for my sister, and by doing my duty to her, I’m asking you to seek help.  It’s not good for you to keep things bottled up all the time.  And I don’t care who your father is, or what your story is.  All I’m asking is that you find someone to talk to so you can serve this country better and be a better role model for my sister.”

“You don’t mean that,” Kathryn shot back.  “You wouldn’t be telling me that if you didn’t care.”

Jude stood up and nodded.  “You’re right.  I do care about you.  Don’t turn into what my father was.  In the end, he couldn’t connect with either Soph or me.  He died alone.”  He started walking out of the cafeteria before reminding the sergeant of his waiting sister.

Kathryn looked down at her empty plate.  What Jude had told her really did get to her.  Over the years (she knew her real issues had started nearly six years before), she’d learnt to just shut everything out and hadn’t really dealt with what was truly troubling her.  Because of Lucy’s death, she knew that she’d stopped talking about what _she_ wanted or felt and just focused on something else.  And she could see that everything around her suffered.  She sighed and stood up.  It was time for her to start talking to someone.  Just like Jude had asked.


	9. Winter and Spring 2030

Jeff looked over the plans for the space station Brains had designed once again.  Things were progressing well for the other main craft and the build of the space station was getting underway.  His main concern, though, was to make sure that whoever lived on the space platform didn’t suffer from other effects.  He’d been to space enough times and seen the effect that had on the body that he didn’t want to subject any of his sons to the same fate.  It was well known in the early parts of the 21st century that prolonged exposure to space life wore down the bones in the body and had an adverse effect on a person’s life after ten months in space.  At least, that’s how he saw his time at NASA.

He’d asked Brains to try to find a way around the problem of brittle bone syndrome of someone living on their space station permanently.  And have a way of operating the whole system remotely.  Looking up at his computer just as a Skype call came in, he smiled slightly as he read Kathryn’s name.  Answering the call, his smile grew wider as his screen was filled with his daughter’s face.

“Hello, Kathryn.”

_“Hi, Dad.  I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”_

Jeff leaned back in his chair slightly.  “No, nothing important.  It’s good to see you, baby girl.”  Kathryn gave him a small smile and looked away from the screen.  His smile fell.  “What is it?” he asked.

_“When you married Mom, did you actually want me?”_

“Look at me,” Jeff said as he formulated his answer.  She looked up at the screen again and bit her lower lip.  “Even if it had never worked between Lucy and me, and we stayed friends…”

Kathryn rolled her eyes slightly.  _“We both know that would never have happened._ ”

Jeff laughed slightly and grew serious again.  “Yes, but if it hadn’t, from the moment I met you, I wanted you in my life.  I would’ve stuck around purely to see you smile.”  He ran a hand thoughtfully over his chin.  “What’s this about, Kathryn?”

She looked down at her lap.  _“Then why didn’t you stick around after Mom died?  Weren’t we important enough for you?”_

That was the question that had been plaguing Jeff for years.  Why hadn’t he paid more attention to his children after Lucy had died?  But he realised that at the time, working away his grief was the only way he knew how to cope after she’d died.  All six of the children Lucy had left to him were reminders of what he’d lost.  None more so than Kathryn.  “Because…” a sudden lump rose in his throat.  “I didn’t know how else to move on.  And I forgot that you children also missed Lucy.”  Jeff gave his daughter a shaky smile and asked, “Why are you bringing all this up again now?”

Kathryn shifted uncomfortably under Jeff’s gaze and finally returned her attention back at him.  _“I… I really hated that you left us behind.  I didn’t know how to deal with seeing someone die.  And I really needed to talk to someone who’d been there before.  So I just buried it.  Focused on other things.  Talked about anything else except about what was really bothering me.”_   She focused intently on the wall she could see behind her father’s face.  _“Someone told me three months ago I needed to sort myself out before I could help others._ ”  Jeff frowned slightly and wondered whether or not Kathryn had taken up the advice.  _“Daddy, am I a good person?”_

He saw pain, fear and uncertainty flash across Kathryn’s face and his heart went out to her.  “Oh, princess.  Yes.  I believe in you.  I’m proud to be known as Kathryn Keith-Tracy’s father – the woman who set out to mend people’s bodies so they can get back to their loved ones.”

 _“You really mean that?”_ Kathryn asked.

Jeff nodded.  “I do, Kathryn.”  She gave him a genuine smile.  He found himself returning it.  “So how are your studies going?”

_“They’re good.  It’s a challenge, but I like it.”_

“That’s good.  What about that paediatric you told me about?”

 _“Dad!”_ she complained, an irritated tone evident in her voice.  Jeff smiled further and allowed his daughter fill him in on what had been happening in Texas.  In return, he filled her in on life on the Tracy Island.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Gordon looked up at the stands of the indoor pool he was currently at.  It was his first swim meet representing the Roosevelt School of Learning for Boys at a District Championship, and he wanted to do his family proud.  The young teen had been representing the school ever since the second semester the boys had attended the boarding school and he was getting very good.  He found his brothers sitting together, and to his surprise, Jeff and Andrew were sitting with them.  He grinned fully and gave them a wave.  It dropped slightly as he thought about the missing family member but he realised that Kathryn wasn’t there.  But then, she lived in Texas and the swim meet was in Florida.  At least his dad was there, he thought.

That was the most important thing.

And he knew he’d done his best when after the race, Jeff came to him with a proud smile on his face.  Gordon returned the smile.  And then, threw his arms around his father’s waist.

“You did well, son,” Jeff said.

“Thanks, Dad.  For coming, too.”  Gordon looked around at the other gathered family members.  Andrew drew level with the fourteen-year-old and gave the redhead a smile.  “Hi, Uncle Andy.  What are you doing here?”

“I came to see my favourite water baby swim.  Seeing as I had some time off, and your dad offered to bring me down for the meet, I thought why not?  After all, it _is_ the district finals.”  Andrew looked around the other boys gathered around.  “It gives me a chance to see all of you again.  It’s been far too long.”

All five boys laughed and Andrew found himself in the middle of a Tracy family pile up.  Jeff laughed along with his sons just as his phone rang.  He moved away from the family gathering to answer it.

John, noticing his father’s disappearance, backed away from Andrew and his brothers.  He moved to stand a little closer to his father and heard Jeff say, “Yeah, he won.  A few of the other team members got placing’s.  But he would’ve loved to have had you here, you know?”  Jeff sighed and looked over his shoulder at his family and saw John watching him.  “Kathryn, it wasn’t my choice for you to stay behind.  I’ll call you later.  I would like to enjoy my time with my sons.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn ran a hand over her face.  She knew that it was partially her fault that she’d drifted apart from her family since she joined the army nearly five years before.  It had been hard enough for her when she _had_ been living at home to find things in common with her brothers – given the fact that they were boys and so much younger than her.  But back then, things had been so much simpler.  Far simpler.  Looking down at the computer screen, Kathryn was trying to find the words to bridge the gap between her and her second youngest brother.

It had been two weeks since Gordon had won his first district championship swim meet, and still she hadn’t sent him an email of congratulations.  Her Skype number rang and she moved her mouse over the icon to see who was calling her.  She smiled slightly.

Answering the call, she smiled at Gordon.  “Hi, Gordo.  How are you today?”

_“I’m fine, Katie.  Did Dad tell you what I won?”_

“He sure did.  Sorry, I couldn’t make it across, copper-top.  It must have been a good race.”

Gordon smiled out of the computer screen.  “ _I’m still working on my swimming.  I want to be the best there is!”_

Kathryn laughed slightly.  “I know you’ll do great!  One day, I’m sure you’ll even be picked to be on the US Olympic Team.”

“ _You really think so?”_   His face held a hopeful gaze.  And Kathryn realised that no matter what the distance was between her and her brothers, they still looked up to her and trusted whatever she said.  She smiled at her brother and nodded.

“From what Uncle Andy and Dad have said, you’ll be breaking some of those world records.  Are you going to try for the record of winning the most Olympic medals?”

Gordon grinned.  _“I don’t think I’m that good, Katie._ ”

“Maybe not yet, but someday soon.  I’m sure of it.”  Kathryn looked away from her computer slightly as she heard someone knock at her front door.  Turning back to the computer, she gave an apologetic smile.  “Someone’s at my door.”

 _“Do you have to answer it?”_ Gordon asked with a cheeky grin, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.  Kathryn saw and shook her head.

“I don’t have to, Gord.  But I’m sure they’ll keep on knocking.  I did promise to meet up with a friend this afternoon.”

Gordon consented and she promised that she’d be back as soon as she could.  Kathryn stood and moved from her computer to the front door.  Opening it, she saw that Jude and Sophia were standing on her doorstep along with one of Sophia’s friends.  “Come in,” she greeted and invited the three visitors in.  “I’m just on a call to my brother, so if you’ll forgive me, I want to finish talking to him.”

Jude smiled slightly.  “Sure.  Sorry about that.”  The three followed Kathryn into the lounge and made themselves comfortable as she returned to the computer.

“Sorry, Gord.  Now, where were we?  Oh yes.  Tell me all about the race.”

Gordon smiled at her.  Then began telling her all about the race.  Just as he was finishing, John poked his head around Gordon’s face so he could see who his little brother was talking to.

Kathryn smiled at her second brother and returned her attention to Gordon.  “Man that must have been exciting, copper-top.  Wish I’d been there.”

_“Yeah, wish you’d been able to come as well.  We all miss you.”_

“I know, Gordon.  I miss all of you too.  How are you, John?”

 _“I’m fine,”_ the blond replied.  “ _Who are all those people in the background?”_

Kathryn looked over her shoulder to see Jude and Sophia trying to see her two brothers on the computer.  “Oh.  This is Jude-” she pointed out Jude, “-and Sophia-” again she pointed to the person the name belonged to “-Paxton.  Jude, Fi, these are my brothers.  John and Gordon.”  Jude and Sophia waved a greeting before Kathryn shooed them away.  “Let me talk to my brothers.”

Kathryn watched as the two Paxton's moved away to sit back on the sofa with Cassey.  She then turned back to her computer.  “Sorry about that.  I can’t talk much longer.  How’s school going, Johnny?”

 _“It’s going okay,_ ” John said.

 _“Math is boring,_ ” put in Gordon.  _“I like swimming better_.”

Kathryn laughed.  “I know the feeling Gordon.  I never much liked English myself.  I’m sure our dear brother’s helping you out?”

Gordon nodded in response.  “ _Johnny’s real good.  He was helping me with Algebra again.  It helps that I’ve got a brother who likes Math._ ”

“I bet,” she said.  Looking back over her shoulder at her visitors, Kathryn apologised and said she had to go.  “But I’ll call you guys next Saturday.  See you later.”

 _“Bye, Katie!_ ” echoed the two boys and Kathryn disconnected the Skype call before shutting down her computer.  She swivelled her desk chair around and smiled slightly at Jude, Sophia and Cassey.

Jude raised an eyebrow at her.  “So… which two brothers were those two?”

“John, the blond, is my second brother.  He’s seventeen in May.  Gordon –”

“Copper-top,” Jude and Sophia said at the same time.  They looked at each other and laughed.  Kathryn refrained from rolling her eyes.

“–Yes, the one with the auburn hair, is my second youngest brother and is a few months older than Fi.”  She moved from the computer to sit on the only remaining lounge chair.  “So, what is the plan for the afternoon?”

Jude pursed his lips.  “Well, you were going to take these two hoodlums somewhere this afternoon.”

Both teenaged girls lit up at the prospect.  “Yes!” they agreed readily before Sophia glowered at her brother.

“OY!”

Kathryn ran her hand over her face.  Sometimes, she thought, boys were a lot easier to deal with than girls.  She shook her head and let Jude out.

Jude sighed as he left his sister and her friend with the sergeant.  Sometimes he didn’t really understand the woman (in fact, he didn’t really understand _any_ of the fairer sex).  He looked back over his shoulder at the sergeant’s small unit and ran a hand over his face.  Just as he got to his car, he stopped and thought about the two brothers that Kathryn had introduced to him.  John and Gordon.  From what he remembered from reading in Kathryn’s file (and from later conversations with the woman), there were five brothers she’d grown up with.  Five brothers – and they’d probably have an unhyphenated name.  That last name would most likely be simply Tracy.

Jude stopped short.  He closed his eyes as an image of Kathryn’s potential father flashed in front of his eyes.  The only person he knew that was famous that carried the name of Tracy was Jefferson Grant Tracy, the billionaire extraordinaire and national hero.  The man that once walked upon the moon.  He was the man who was internationally famous for building up his company from nothing and making something worthwhile.  And, as it so happened, he had five sons, two of which were called John and Gordon.

If Jude hadn’t been infatuated with Kathryn already (and Sophia had already teased him about it), the fact that her father was Jefferson Tracy would have scared him to kingdom come.  Actually, figuring out who her father had sobered him.  There was no way he’d be game to ask her out, not that he actually thought his relationship with Kathryn would be anything more than platonic.  From what he could work out, Kathryn barely tolerated him.  He winced and slid into his car.  If he was a betting man, Jude was 100% sure that hell would freeze over before Sergeant Keith-Tracy would even consider going out with any man (or woman) on a _date_ date, let alone get engaged.

He laughed dryly to himself and shook his head.  One day, maybe, he’d get the courage to ask her out.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Brains looked over at his employer and then back down at the sight that filled the screen before him.  By the look on Jeff’s face, or from what Brains could see through the visors, the sight of the Earth was something that no one could get tired of.  That was – if said person was like Jefferson Tracy, who’d lived to see the Earth from the moon.

Jeff looked over at his employee and gave him a wide smile.  “Brains, my friend.  This is one thing I’ve missed since leaving the space programme all those years ago.”

Brains offered a return smile.  “It is be-beaut-i-iful.  I-I can see wh-why you missed th-this.”

“Not at the expense of my family though.  I’ve learnt that the hard way in the past few years.”  Jeff sighed.  “I wasn’t there for Scott’s birth and almost missed John and Gordon’s as well.  There’ve been too many things I’ve missed out on.”  His thoughts turned, as they always did, to Kathryn.  The past few months had been an improvement for their relationship, but there were still issues to be worked out between them.  The man sighed again.  “Let’s get this station fully operational,” Jeff said.  He’d deal with any family issue once the two of them got back down to Earth and back to Tracy Island.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn wanted to surprise her brothers somehow.  It had been years since she’d made the effort of going out to see them while they were at school (but being in the Army restricted her level of contact with her family).  Ever since Jude had suggested that she attend counselling, Kathryn had contacted her family a little more and made contact with them.

In March, she worked out the best way of using her four week vacation, which would come toward the end of May.  She’d fly down to join her brothers at the Roosevelt School for a week, then spend some time with Susan and then Andrew before spending her last week of time off back at the school.  There was no way she was going to miss Scott’s high school graduation if she could help it.  That was something that she wanted to do for her brothers.

So when she eventually flew across to Florida, she’d organised with everyone but her brothers her four weeks leave.  Jeff met her at the airport (he managed to take some time off from building the Thunderbirds and his main business).

Kathryn smiled widely when she saw him.  “Dad!”

“Hi baby girl,” Jeff returned, giving her a hug.  “Do you have any checked luggage?”

“Just one.”

“You pack light.”

Kathryn laughed slightly, feeling more carefree than the last time she saw Jeff.  “It’s a skill,” she shot back.  “In my line of work, if you don’t need something, don’t pack it.  There are other far more important items to pack.”

“Good policy,” Jeff put in.  “So what didn’t you pack?”

“My books, computer… a dress.”  Kathryn looked sideways at her father and smiled.  “Don’t worry.  I’m not going to show up at my brother’s graduation wearing my dress uniform.  Although I’m going to need that tomorrow.”  The billionaire looked across at his daughter just as she claimed her bag.  Her smile grew further.  “Dad, this year for my birthday, can we go shopping?”

Jeff wrapped his arm around Kathryn briefly and gave her a smile in response.  “But of course!”  Neither he nor his daughter particularly liked shopping, and only did it out of necessity.  Yet, for the first time in a long time, Jeff found himself readily agreeing.  It meant that he had the chance of spending some quality time with Kathryn.  “We’ll definitely go get you a dress for Scott’s graduation.”  Kathryn smiled at her dad.  The two of them made their way out of the airport and toward the school.  “As promised, I haven’t told the boys you’re coming with me today.  What have you organised for this coming week at the school?”

“Just some extra credit work.  And perhaps a deeper understanding of EMT’s and Medics.”  Kathryn looked out the window at the passing scenery.  As much as she’d travelled around the world, the trip to Florida to see her brothers was the first time she’d been to the state.

“I hope there’s at least some interest.  And that two of those interested are from our family.”

She snorted.  “EMT-Basic training should be a requirement for anyone living on a remote island like you do.  Who do you think is the most qualified of the family?”

Jeff didn’t have to think about it.  “You.”  He shot her a smile as he pulled up to the main gate of the Roosevelt.  “After that, I think maybe Virgil.”

“Virgil’s 15.  How long’s he been interested in medical stuff?”

“Probably as long as you’ve been in the army,” the man answered truthfully.  “I think Virgil felt that it was the closest thing he could do to stay close to you.  Each of the boys has a different way of trying to reach out to you.  Scott, he’s taken over your role of watching out for the younger boys.  John helps the others with their homework and keeps them all organised.  Virgil decided to help out in the Medical wing at school.  Gordon shares the same hair colour as you and Alan has a white bandana with a red cross attached to his backpack.”

Kathryn felt her eyes widen slightly.  “I didn’t realise.”

Jeff swallowed and concentrated on his driving.  “You haven’t been around lately.  We all miss having you at home, but we all know that your work is important.”  He stopped in front of the main office building and gave his daughter a reassuring smile.  “We couldn’t ask you to give up all the hard work you’ve put into the army.  And in the future sometime, we know you’ll eventually come back to us.”

She swallowed.  “Thanks, Dad.”

The two of them entered the building and signed in at the receptionist desk.  Planting a kiss on the side of his daughter’s head, Jeff left her to go in search of his sons.  Kathryn first had to seek out the headmaster of the school before she could follow her dad in search of her brothers.  The receptionist saw the kiss and mistakenly thought that the billionaire had brought his new ‘trophy-wife’ to meet the sons.  Kathryn noticed the receptionist’s smirk and she frowned.

“Excuse me?  Where can I find the headmaster’s office?”

”Down the hallway and last door on the right,” the receptionist answered.  The next part Kathryn was sure was not meant for her ears reached her anyway.  “Where did Mister Tracy find a pretty thing like you?”

Kathryn had just turned away when she heard that and sweetly turned back again.  “ _Dad_ found me the day my mom backed into his car.  Nice to meet you, I’m Kathryn Tracy, _daughter_ of Jefferson Tracy.”  The receptionist looked taken aback at that and stammered out an apology.  Kathryn ignored her as she made her way to the Headmaster’s office.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Scott and Virgil looked up from where they were sharing an orange juice with their father and brothers.  Jakob, one of the other seniors and a good friend of Scott’s came over to the family.  The eighteen-year-old didn’t quite register that Jeff was also with his sons when he’d began addressing Scott.

“Hey, Scott, Virgil, have you seen the G.I. Jane that’s getting a tour of the campus with the headmaster?”  It was at the end of the question that Jakob realised that Scott and Virgil were with their three other brothers (sadly, the teen didn’t really know Alan all that well and only knew John and Gordon by association) and Jeff.  Upon seeing Jeff sitting with Alan, Jakob remembered his manners.  “Hello, Mr. Tracy.  What brings you to our fair school today?  I hope Virgil hasn’t done anything.”  Any of the brothers’ close friends had grown accustomed to seeing Jeff around the school often over the three years they had attended the Roosevelt.

“No,” Jeff answered with a laugh.  “I had a conference the last few days in the city and thought I’d spend an afternoon with my boys.”

Scott rolled his eyes.  “Dad!”

Jeff turned to his first born son.  “You’ve never complained about me coming to visit before.  Besides, there was another reason why I came out today.”

“What?” came the exclamations of the five boys.

And then, it registered in Virgil’s mind what exactly Jakob had asked him and Scott.  He frowned and turned his attention on the senior.  “Is there some government official here?”

Jakob nodded in reply.  “By the look of it, it was an Army Sergeant.  She’s probably here to give the guest lecture or whatever it is tomorrow and the next day.”

John frowned slightly, trying to piece together all the bits and pieces he’d heard so far.  “The one on Medics and EMT training?”

“That’s the one.  Isn’t that an extra credit thing or something?”

“Whatever it is, the skills you could pick up while in attendance could well one day save someone else’s life – or even your own,” a new voice joined in the conversation.  Jeff smiled at the newcomer just as Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon, Alan and Jakob looked around at the sergeant with the headmaster.  Kathryn looked at the headmaster and thanked him before returning her attention to the slack jaws she was receiving from her brothers.  “What?” she asked.  “No hello?”  She raised an eyebrow at her brothers and stated, “Alright.  I’ll start.  Hi!  How have you all been?”

John was the first to react.  “Katie!  Hi!”  Once he’d broken the ice, the other four brothers gave their own greetings.  Jakob looked over the family with confusion written on his face.

Scott saw the confusion written on his friend’s face and realised that no one had introduced Kathryn to Jakob yet.  “Sorry, Jakob.  Let me introduce you to Kathryn Tracy.”

“Tracy?”

“Our sister,” all five Tracy brothers answered as one.

“Was this the G.I. Jane you were talking about?” Virgil asked sweetly and Jakob nodded.  “So you learnt nothing from listening to us?  I’m sure we mentioned Kathryn once–”

“–or twice – ” Gordon put in.

“–a month,” Scott finished with a laugh.

Jeff shook his head at his sons’ actions.  “Boys!”

They turned to him and asked, “Yes?”

Kathryn laughed at the look of mock horror that passed across Jeff’s face.  “It’s not often I see you like that, Dad,” she said as she sat next to him.  The six boys around them joined in with the sergeant’s laughter at the look of indignation sent her way by Jeff.

In the end, the man huffed and said, “Okay, I know when to admit defeat.”  The group’s mirth disappeared when Fermat and another boy ran over to them with looks of horror on their faces.

“Somebody help!” Fermat said.

Kathryn immediately pushed aside her playful side and reached out to the young boy.  “Take a deep breath, Fermat.”  The young Hackenbacker focused on the sergeant and sucked in the air as requested.  “Now, what’s happened?”

“Mi-mi-mi-” the boy began and couldn’t get past the lump in his throat.  He looked to his companion for help and Kathryn did the same.

“Mitchel’s been hurt real bad.”

Instantly, the medic picked up her day pack and demanded, “Show me.”

The two boys nodded and began to run back the way they’d come.  The six other Tracys looked between themselves before they followed their daughter and sister.  It had been a surprise to the five younger Tracys at the commanding tone issuing out of Kathryn – Jeff had seen her issuing orders the day he’d visited her at Fort Knox so it hadn’t been such a surprise to him.

They arrived at the accident – Kathryn was in full medic mode – and they felt their jaws drop.  They hadn’t seen Kathryn working in her element before and what they were seeing was nothing like what they’d come to associate with the woman.  She talked continuously, to both the barely conscious boy and those that witnessed the fall of Mitchel off the second storey balcony.  Jeff knelt beside her as she worked and she briefly looked up.

“Can’t you give him something for the pain?” the father asked quietly.

“I’m sorry; I don’t know this boy’s medical history.  Whatever I could give him could make it worse.  Please, could you keep everyone back until the ambulance arrives?”  She looked up as the growing crowd parted and she saw a nurse coming toward them.  “Is this young man allergic to any medication or is he on anything?”

“No,” came the instant reply.

“Good.”  Pulling out a pre-packed shot of morphine, Kathryn focused her attention on Mitchel’s face.  “Mitchel, stay with me.  I’m going to give you some morphine for the pain.”

The nurse (who’d crouched on the other side of Mitchel) frowned and asked, “How are you allowed to carry morphine shots?”

Kathryn looked up at the nurse with an annoyed look on her face.  “I’m a 68W.”

Nurse Johnson sort out someone for an explanation of what that designation meant and her eyes widened in surprise to see Jefferson Tracy with his sleeves rolled up met her gaze.  The man raised an eyebrow and replied to the unspoken question, “She’s a combat medic in the US Army.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn’s optional class was booked out after the story of how she had saved Mitchel’s life the previous day.  Most had gone to see the ‘hot’ G.I. sergeant at work, but there were definitely some who wanted to know how to react in situations very similar to the one that had happened the previous day.

When she had returned to the school three weeks after the incident for the senior prize giving with her father, the headmaster had smiled and thanked her all over again.  Scott was waiting in the reception area waiting for them.  Except for a few younger students and the entire senior year still in attendance at the school, the school was empty.

“Dad!” he greeted and then noticed the second person with Jeff.  Scott felt his jaw drop slightly at Kathryn in a fitting summer dress and her hair loose down her back.  “Katie!  I didn’t know you’d be coming.”

Kathryn smiled at the brother closest in age to her.  “I wouldn’t miss this for the world, Scotty.  You’re graduating from high school.  Now comes the next part of your life.”

Scott smiled and briefly moved so he could give his sister a hug.  He didn’t voice it, but seeing her there with their father made him think for a moment that Lucy was there.  “Thank you for coming.”

“You’re welcome,” she returned.  “I bought my camera.”

“Thanks to you, the Tracy name will be famous within this school for months.”

Kathryn blushed slightly.  “It was nothing.  How is Mitchel doing?”

The young man – who was also graduating that day with the rest of his class – joined them.  He was pushed along in a wheelchair by a woman who Kathryn could pick was his mother.  “I am doing better now.”

The sergeant looked around at the injured teen and gave him a nod.  “You are looking far better than the last time I saw you.  Are the doctors looking after you?”

“John said you would ask me that,” Mitchel said with a slight laugh.  “Yes, they are.  They let Mom spring me out just for today.  I didn’t want to miss graduation and when Mr. Tracy rang the hospital to say that you’d be there tonight, they allowed it.”

“I was told to give you this,” Mrs. Johnson said, handing a note over to Kathryn.  “Thank you so much for saving my boy.”

“I was just doing my job, ma’am.”

“Thank you all the same.”  The two Johnsons left the lobby and Kathryn looked around at her father and brother.  She looked down at the note that was handed to her.  It was a list of what Mitchel had taken and when.

She looked up from it and turned to her brother.  “Alright.  Let’s get going, shall we?  I, for one, have not come to be a medic tonight.  I’ve come to celebrate with my brother.  After all, it’s not every day that you graduate from High School, is it?”  Throwing her arm around Scott’s waist (he’d grown well past her that she could no longer drape her arm over his shoulder), she asked, “So where are the others?”

“Packing up the last of their gear,” Scott said as he draped his own arm over Kathryn’s shoulders.  “Thanks for coming.  It means a lot.  I’m going to miss being around here next year.”

“Yeah, big Yale boy you.  With the Air Force on the side.”

“What?” Jeff asked.  As far as he was aware, Scott was accepted and going to attend Yale in the Fall.  He hadn’t been told Scott was also going to be in the Air Force at the same time.  Both Scott and Kathryn looked at their father before the sister looked at her brother.

“You never told Dad you were going into the Air Force?”

“Oops.”


	10. Summer and Fall 2030

Jeff shifted his gaze over his gathered children and gave them a soft smile.  Kathryn looked up from where she was sitting and saw the proud look in his eyes.  She returned his smile before returning her attention to Gordon.  The family had decided to take a few days break in Miami before Kathryn had to head to Fort Carson in Colorado.  There was little point travelling half way around the world and then go and do it again two days later.  As of yet, the man hadn’t approached his eldest son about the decision Scott had made to join the Air Force.  Obviously, the eighteen-year-old had discussed his options with Kathryn at some point seeing as she actually knew about the decision.

“You okay, Dad?” Kathryn asked.

Jeff blinked slightly.  For a moment, he thought that he was looking at his late wife.  He gave her a slight smile.  “Yeah.  I can’t believe that Scott talked to you about joining the Air Force over talking to me about it.”

His daughter returned his smile tentatively.  “Well, I don’t think he really remembers much from when you were in the Air Force.  Seeing as he knew that I was in the army and that I made a similar decision at eighteen, he asked me for my advice.”

“And what was that?”

“I asked him where he saw himself in ten years’ time.  He told me that he was looking at options for working for you.  So I said to him enlist as an Air Force Reserve, not as a full service cadet.  Yale offers, like most universities, a chance to do a few papers within the Air Force.”  Jeff raised his eyebrow at Kathryn’s thinking.  When he’d first heard that Scott was heading into the Air Force at the end of the summer when the young man started attending Yale full time, the billionaire had just assumed that it would be as an active member of the Air Force.  Kathryn cleared her throat and brought the man’s attention back to her.  “Dad, Scott realises that whatever his decision is, you’re going to support him.  He just wanted to come to me first because I’ve been there and I could help him out a bit more.”

Scott appeared beside his sister.  “Katie’s more approachable when it comes to decision making Dad.  Well, for me she is.  I don’t know about the others.”

“We’re all different,” John put in, also coming to stand between Jeff and Kathryn.  Soon the rest of the boys had joined in the family circle.

Kathryn grinned suddenly and ruffled Virgil’s hair.  “I can’t believe I made such an impression on you guys.”  When her brothers all looked at her with confused looks on their faces, the young woman giggled slightly.  “Dad told me that you’re all doing something that I used to do.  Come on, even I’ve heard the stories from each of you.  Who became the mother-hen once I left?”  With that comment, she grinned cheekily at Scott.

Scott groaned.  “You don’t!” he shot at the younger brothers.

Gordon pointed his finger at Virgil with a grin that matched Kathryn’s.  “He started that whole mother hen thing!”

Jeff laughed slightly at the banter between his children.  It had been a long time since he’d heard them laugh and joke around with one another like they were doing and seeing Kathryn initiated the banter lifted something within his father’s heart.  He hadn’t seen her do something like that since before Lucy died.  And then, he remembered vaguely that Kathryn said she’d started seeing someone to talk about all the emotional baggage that had been building up since the day Lucy had died.

“Hey Dad,” two voices called out, bringing him back to the present.  His two ginger-haired children were grinning like the Cheshire cat and instantly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

“Whatever it is you two are up to, I’m not going to have any part of                it!” he growled.

Alan snorted slightly.  Jeff turned his attention to his youngest son and cocked an eyebrow.  The nearly ten-year-old burst into laughter followed closely by Gordon and then the rest of his offspring.  Kathryn was the last holdout before she joined in the laughter of her siblings.

“What did we do, Dad?” she inquired innocently.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

It was hard for Kathryn to settle into her new environment at Fort Carson.  When she had told Sophia that she was leaving Fort Sam Houston, the fourteen-year-old (the teen’s birthday had been in May) had begged and pleaded for the sergeant to stay in Texas.  For the first time in her life, Kathryn was grateful for the help and support of a male outside her family.  Jude had taken his sister aside and had informed Sophia that when it came to the army, people didn’t question orders.  Kathryn was one of those people who always followed orders.

Looking back on her parting with Jude and Sophia, Kathryn realised that the man hadn’t wanted her to leave either.  But orders were orders.  And she wasn’t one to break them, no matter what was tying her to Sam Houston.  As far as the Army was concerned, Kathryn was a young, single woman with no obligations so it was with little difficulties that they kept on reassigning her to different posts.

Kathryn only hoped that she wouldn’t get another order to move the following year after she completed her ISPA course.  The hardest thing she found at Fort Carson was learning the new environment as well as working on her extra responsibilities.  That did not mean she couldn’t rise to the challenge.  But boy, she was really starting to miss both Jude and Sophia after her first full month at Fort Carson.  She could only admit it to herself that she missed them almost as much as she missed her brothers and father.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Scott looked around the Yale University campus and audibly swallowed.  He was the first to go off to university in his family and that was a little daunting for him to live up to.  On top of that, he knew that with the Tracy name, people would expect a whole lot more from him.  After all, it wasn’t every day that a university had the offspring of the great Jefferson Tracy walking their halls.

It was almost surreal to him being off on his own for the first time, and he wondered how Kathryn had managed on her own since she had graduated high school.  But then, he remembered the times when Jeff had taken him and his brothers out to see Kathryn at the different places she had been stationed.  Kathryn probably had gotten by on her own without the same level of pressure as what he was now facing because it wasn’t just Jeff’s name she carried: Scott had forgotten that she also carried their mother’s maiden name too.  It wasn’t until she was in the Army that she’d really begun to use her hyphenated name to get by on her own merits.

Now that he was facing the same situation, Scott was wishing he had the same choice.  But he wasn’t so sure he would’ve taken the same opportunity as Kathryn did.  He was a Tracy and the eldest son of Jeff Tracy.  Scott was proud of that, and he _wanted_ to show the world what made a Tracy.  And he couldn’t if he had been able to choose and use a hyphenated name like Kathryn had done.

“Mr. Tracy?”

Scott turned to face the person who had called out his name.  “Yes?”

“Welcome to Yale.  We are very pleased that you’ve chosen us to pursue your higher education with us.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Virgil sat on his bed, looking around his dorm room.  It felt very weird for him to be back at school without Scott around.  It was hard enough for him to see Kathryn leave home to make her way in the world, but now with Scott gone, things were getting weirder.  He sighed.  It wasn’t weirder in a sense; it wasn’t like he wanted everything to stay the same, but sharing a dorm room with someone who _wasn’t_ Scott was going to take a bit of getting used to.

With Scott off at Yale and John entering his senior year at High School, it meant that reality was catching up to Virgil.  Life was moving on.

A knock came at the door and the nearly sixteen-year-old looked up from his bed.  “Who is it?”

“Virg, it’s me.”

The young artist recognised the voice of his next oldest brother and when to open the door.  “John, it’s going to be very strange this year without Scott here,” Virgil admitted.

“I know.  I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.  It’s going to be weird for me too.  You realise that Scott could’ve had his own room last year?”

“What?”

“Yeah, the deans came to me at the end of last year and pretty much told me that they were putting me in my own room and getting Gordon to share with one of his year mates.  They noticed how the four of us, well, six if you include Alan and Fermat, never really socialised much within our own year group so they want us to make new friends.”  John flopped down on Virgil’s bed.  “Man, I wish Scott was still here.”

“Me too.”  Virgil smiled at his blond brother and shrugged his shoulders.  “It’s like it’s only just sinking in now that he’s gone off to Yale.  And joined the Air Force.  Can you believe he didn’t tell Dad?”

John snorted.  “The way that Gordon tells it, that little blighter, was that Katie was the one to drop that bombshell.  How would he even know?  He wasn’t there.”

The person in question poked their head round the door with a cheeky grin and both older boys groaned.  There was never a moment peace when Gordon was wearing _that_ particular grin.  “I so happen to know what happened because _I_ was told.  _My_ sources are impeccable!”

John frowned at the big word issuing out of the fourteen-year-old’s (’15 in two weeks’) mouth.  “Do you even know what that means?”

Gordon grunted.  “I _do_ pay attention in class.  Unlike some other people I can name.”

Virgil shook his head just as his new roommate walked in.  There was no need for him to introduce his brothers – most of the school knew of the Tracys (and of the sergeant they knew who’d become a school-wide hero at the end of the previous school year).  “Hey, John, Virgil and Gordon.  Will I be expecting to see you guys around in this dorm room a lot?”

“As much as we can,” shot back the copper-haired Tracy cheekily.

“Gordon!”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

When Jeff heard that Gordon was competing in the Florida State High School Championship, he made sure that he could make it.  The competition was in late December, just a week out from the winter holidays and the man decided to surprise Gordon by also bringing Scott with him to cheer on the fifteen-year-old.

What made the three day event even more special was that even Andrew and Susan made it down to Florida (courtesy of Jeff flying them there himself.)  Gordon hadn’t been able to see his family beforehand (other than the brothers that he saw at school) so he wasn’t aware that Jeff, Scott, Andrew, and Susan had made it to see him compete at the State level.  But when he walked out of the changing room for his first heat, he heard his name being cheered from the bleachers behind him.

Turning, he looked up and saw his father leaning over the edge of the railing with a huge smile on his face.  Gordon found himself grinning back.  The look of pride directed his way from his father even before he swam his first race was far more important to him than winning without his father even seeing.

And having his father there gave Gordon the much-needed incentive to do his best – and that was what he did.  In the six events he was in (100 meter breaststroke, 100 meter freestyle, 50 meter backstroke, 50 meter butterfly, the team relay and the medley), he won three of them and got his team close to winning the relay.  The other two races, he also came in second or third.  Overall, he did very well.  With the last win he had – which was in the medley – he found his father and family again and felt warmth and support rush over him.

But the biggest surprise of them all came when he scanned the crowd again and his eyes landed on a woman in uniform he recognised.  Kathryn had made it for the last day.  And that made his final win all the more special to him.  Beside her, with her left hand held securely in his right, stood a man that Gordon didn’t recognise but was sure Kathryn would introduce later.

He made his way out of the changing room in quick time so he could meet up with his family.  None of them mentioned seeing Kathryn and the man there and it was Scott’s comment about wishing Kathryn could’ve seen Gordon’s last race that gave him an indication that they hadn’t seen her like he had.

Gordon grinned and decided not to say anything about Kathryn being there.  It was nice for a change that he knew something his brothers didn’t.  “So, where are we going to celebrate?” the fifteen-year-old asked.

“Well, where would you like to go?” Jeff asked.

“Please don’t say McDonald’s,” Kathryn said from behind the majority of the group.  Gordon grinned at his sister as the rest of the group jumped and turned.

There were many surprised voices coming from each and every one of the eight people surprised to see Kathryn there.  (Fermat had come with the Tracys.)

Kathryn returned Gordon’s grin.  She whistled to get everyone’s attention.  “That’s better!” she said when everyone had quietened down again.  “I can hear myself think now.  Hello, everyone.  Now,” she looked directly at Gordon, “I think congratulations are in order for the brother who shares my fabulous hair colour.”  Alan and Fermat giggled at that before nodding in agreement.

“Thanks, Katie!” Gordon returned.  “I didn’t think you could make it.”

“It so happens that I pulled some strings to get here today.  The only thing is, I need to head back tomorrow.  The Army could only give me three days.”

“I’m glad you could make it for today then.”

Kathryn smiled and gave her brother a hug.  She then turned around to talk to her other family and catch up with them.

It was during this time that Jude made his presence known.  He’d hung back while Kathryn had made her way over to her family and caught up with them.  Clearing his throat, he bought Kathryn’s attention back to him, along with the rest of her family.  Oh help, was that _really_ Jefferson Tracy?

“Oh, sorry Jude,” Kathryn apologised.

“Sarge, I totally get it – family’s important to you.  Otherwise, you wouldn’t have had me fly you all the way down here to see…” he paused for a bit, trying to remember the nickname one of the other boys had called Gordon and he smiled when he remembered.  He finished his train of thought with “Copper-top compete.”

“You didn’t have to,” the sergeant shot back.  She then looked back at her family with a guilty expression on her face and saw two of her brothers grinning at the banter between their sister and the man they remembered as Jude.  “Okay, I think introductions are in order.”

“I should say so, young lady,” Jeff put in, crossing his arms across his chest.

Kathryn rolled her eyes.  “I _am_ twenty-three, Dad.”  She took a deep breath and moved to stand by Jude’s side.  Swallowing hard, she looked up at her father and wasn’t going to back down from losing her temper.  “Everyone, this is Jude Paxton, a friend and a college of mine.  Jude, this is my family.  On the end are Uncle Andy and Aunt Su.  Beside them are Alan, Fermat, and Virgil.  Fermat’s father works for Dad so he’s like an extra little brother for my brothers.  I’m sure you remember me introducing you to Gordon and John.  Scott’s on the end closest to us.  And then there’s my dad…”

“…Jefferson Tracy,” Jude interrupted, holding his hand out for a handshake.  At Kathryn’s confused look, the twenty-six-year-old looked down at her with a frown on his own face.  “What?  You didn’t think I would work out who your father was on my own.”

Kathryn got a hard look in her eyes before she turned her back on her family.  In one swift move, she forced Jude to take a few steps backward from her family and she hissed in his ear, “ _Never_ mention my father again.”

Jeff realised what must have set his daughter off and moved to stand behind her.  He placed his hand on her shoulder to offer her his support.  Looking up at the young man (who must have been the one that Kathryn had mentioned to him the year before), he stared hard into the boy’s eyes.  Kathryn calmed enough for Jeff to mention that they had some celebrating to do.  She nodded and went to drape her arm across Gordon’s shoulders.  Jeff and Jude watched as she moved away out of earshot before the billionaire turned his attention back to the young paediatrician.

“If you’ve known Kathryn for a while, you must realise that there is a difference between ‘father’ and ‘dad’ for her,” Jeff said quietly.  “I don’t know if she’s tried to get in touch with Tony again, or with his wife or daughter.”

Jude winced and remembered what Kathryn had told him during the summer the previous year.  He’d assumed she’d grown up with a younger sister, instead of the five brothers he just met.  And that those brothers were _half-_ brothers, not full-brothers.  Just like her _half_ -sister.  He never once stopped to think what Kathryn’s relationship was like with her biological father, or the man’s family.  He took a deep breath and looked Jeff in the eye.  “I’m guessing you’re her…”

“Legally, I’m her _step_ -father.  But in my heart, and in hers, I’m her _dad._ ”

Jude watched Jeff move away to join the rest of the Tracys and saw the man wrap his arms around Kathryn in comfort.  The young doctor smiled wistfully and wondered how on earth he was going to get up the courage to ask Jeff if he could date Kathryn.  From what he could see, the family was far closer than what he’d given them credit for at the end of the previous year.  He noticed Kathryn looking back over her shoulder at him, beckoning him to join her, and he moved to comply.  The next year was definitely going to be a challenge.  Especially when Sophia kept asking when he’d be making Kathryn a part of their family for real.


	11. Spring 2031

John looked over the pamphlets the school guidance counsellor had given him just before the Christmas break.  He hadn’t had a chance over the busy break to actually sit down and look through them and he had to make a decision soon.  Actually, he was sitting outside the guidance counsellor’s office at the Roosevelt School for Boys and he was supposed to have made a decision already.

“John?”

The young man looked up and stood.  “Hi, Mr. Kilpatrick.”

“I see you’re looking through the pamphlets I gave you last time.  Come on in.”  John nodded and stood.  Following the counsellor’s office, the young man took a seat.  Mr. Kilpatrick looked over the second Tracy son and smiled.  “So have you thought much about what you’re going to do once you leave us here?”

The blond grinned sheepishly.  “Not really.  Actually, yeah, but not much past dreams.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Well, you know how my dad is famous for heading up the second moon landing and building a multi-billion dollar company.  I’ve always found the stars fascinating, and have dreamed about following Dad’s footsteps to space.”

“Have you thought about joining the space programme at NASA?”

John nodded.  “I have.  The thing is sir, with the space programme, there is only a certain amount of time I can spend out in space.  It’s a goal of mine to go out to space but I don’t see that as my long-term future job.”

Mr. Kilpatrick raised an eyebrow.  “So what do you see yourself doing in twenty years’ time?”

“I really like helping people.  And I’m good with English.”

“Have you thought about a communications degree?  From your records, you’re also very good with some of the sciences and mathematics.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn looked around the remote location just south of Colorado Springs.  The unit she was with had been out for the past day and a half, and they’d be out for another two days.  She was part of the unit trying to help another unit out of a potential danger zone while another unit’s mission was to stop them.  Usually, Kathryn didn’t participate in war games such as the one she was currently in but for some reason, her name had been put down for these particular games.

And although she was the highest ranking soldier in her unit, she was told to take a step back and let the young lieutenant assigned to her take the lead.  Unless there was a medical emergency.  She huffed to herself.  _That_ wasn’t going to be likely in a war game where the units were armed with blanks.

“Take cover!”

Instantly, Kathryn did, along with the five other people in her unit.  Off to their left, about 100 yards away, a plume of dust and sand shot up in the air.  It was followed closely by the sound of gunshots.  They must have been close to the hide out of the other unit.  The lieutenant swivelled around from his prone position and began to return fire.  The rest of the unit followed suit.  That was until a stray bullet (or piece of something) caught the tip of a buried warhead – a warhead that had just been unearthed at the start of the gunfight.

The explosion could be seen and felt for miles.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jude looked down at the piece of paper in his hand.  After careful research (and from what he could gather from Kathryn), he had found out where Kathryn’s biological father lived.  He was sure he was going to get himself into a world of trouble digging into the sergeant’s past, but he really couldn’t help himself.  There must be a reason for her to act the way she did sometimes, and the man thought it could have something to do with her father.

He looked up from the same vantage point that Kathryn had stood in nearly five years before.

“Excuse me, can I help you?” a young woman asked from behind him.  Jude turned around to find an eighteen-year-old walking toward him.

“Yeah, I’m looking for Anthony Quinn.”

“He’s gone and gotten himself busted,” the young woman retorted.  “Why’re you looking for him?”

Jude looked the teen over.  He had to truly think that question over before he could answer it.  “Anthony Quinn happens to be the biological father of my girlfriend.”

Hannah snorted slightly.  “Dream on mate.  You’re not my boyfriend and never will be.”  She pushed passed the doctor on her way up to her mother’s house.

Jude frowned and followed the teen with his eyes.  “You’re Hannah Quinn.”

“What of it?” she asked before she stopped.  As far as she was concerned, she had never met Jude before and didn’t know of anyone who had.  Except… perhaps the last person she’d seen around asking after her father.  But that was years ago.  “How did you know my name?”

Reaching into his jacket, the man pulled out his wallet and one of the pictures he carried around in it.  He handed it over to Hannah.  “The girl in the picture is my sister.  The woman in uniform is Kathryn Keith-Tracy.  My girlfriend.”

Hannah took the photo from Jude and looked it over.  “I recognise her,” she said, pointing to the sergeant.  “She came looking for my father five years ago.”  The teen handed the photo back to the paediatrician.  “Won’t help anything now, anyway.”

Jude was curious.  “Why do you say that?”

The girl snorted.  “Sometimes I wish she’d actually gone and seen the bastard then, instead of waiting another year and a half.  I wish that Mom had acted sooner, and had left _him_ behind.  Once Mom had found out that the two of us were nothing more that stepping stones for Anthony Quinn, she got the guts to actually leave.”  Hannah rubbed her upper arms before she frowned.  “Why am I telling you this?  Are you some sort of psychiatrist?”

“No,” the man answered.  In all his years of training to be a doctor (and the almost two years he’d been a practicing practitioner), he’d learnt the best way of dealing with difficult situations was to be honest.  “But I did study a few papers on psychiatry while I was training to be a paediatrician.”

Hannah snorted again and looked away.  Jude shifted a little uncomfortably and waited until the teen turned her attention back to him.  “I must say it was nice to meet you, Miss Quinn.”  He turned and started to make his way off down the street.  Overall, he thought that his trip to Shawnee had been a waste of time.  That was until he was stopped by Hannah calling out after him.  He stopped and looked back over his shoulder.  “Yes, Miss Quinn?”

“Do you think that Kathryn would want to hear from me?”

“I honestly don’t know.  She doesn’t know I’m here.”

Hannah pulled out a letter she’d been carrying around for some months.  When she’d first found out about her older half-sister, she was very angry at both her father and the older girl who she thought was going to take her father away.  But then, she remembered the day that Kathryn had actually worked up the guts to go to her father’s work.  Hannah had been working in the back of the shop on some homework and had witnessed the confrontation between her father and the army private.  And what she’d seen had given her the chills.  But what had happened afterwards had given her nightmares for years afterwards.

Tony had stormed through the workshop to where she’d been working and began physically and verbally abusing her.  From then on, up until Hannah’s mother realised the extent of the abuse Tony put both of them under, Hannah dreaded the times when she would see her father.

Looking up from the envelope now held in her hand, Hannah asked, “Could you give this to her?”

Jude took the envelope from the teen.  “I can do that,” he promised.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Sophia looked up from her copy of _Twilight_ just as one of the nurses walked past her again.  “Excuse me,” the fourteen-year-old said, making the nurse turn toward her.  “Could you tell me how Sergeant Katie’s doing?”

“Sorry, only family can know that information.”

Upon hearing that response, the teen’s lower lip quivered.  Sophia hated waiting around in hospitals without good reason (having spent a fair bit of time over the past two years in and out of ones while her brother worked) and she knew that it was the general policy for the staff to uphold patient confidentiality.  “Miss, I’m supposed to be staying with her.  She’s like my sister.”

“Go home.”

“I can’t,” the teen rebutted.  “My brother’s out of town and Kathryn’s the only one I really know around here.”

 The nurse, Sophia read her name to be Jacquie, stopped and thought the situation over.  “There’s nothing I can do about that.  You’ll need to leave.”

Sophia stubbornly refused and turned back to her book.  Before Jacquie could ask her to leave again, there was a commotion further down the hallway.  The two of them turned to the noise and the teen found herself smiling slightly.

“I’m telling you, Doctor.  I am fine.”  Kathryn narrowed her eyes at the doctor who was trying to get her to get back into bed.  “There are duties that I need to be at home for tonight.”

“Nothing is more important that you risking your life.”

“And as I said, _Doctor_ , I am perfectly fine.”

“A cracked rib and another fractured rib is not fine.  Plus I had to reset your dislocated shoulder.  And dress the shrapnel wound on your neck.  You’re very lucky that didn’t nick your carotid artery.”

Kathryn would have snorted in amusement if she wasn’t feeling so sore.  “Luck has nothing to do with it.”  It was then that she realised that she was being observed arguing with her civilian doctor.  She lowered her gaze and blushed slightly when she recognised Sophia.  “This isn’t what you think.”

Sophia’s grinned widened.  “Oh, really?  So you’re a mind reader now, Sergeant Kate?”

“Cheeky.”

The doctor with Kathryn frowned and asked, “You’re Doctor Paxton’s sister, aren’t you?”  Sophia nodded shyly.  “And are you staying with Sergeant Keith-Tracy while he’s out of town?”

“That’s right.”

Michael Yeats sighed.  “I know I’m arguing with a brick wall here.”

“No, you’re just arguing with policy.  We both know that with my injuries, we would hold the person who sustained them for a few hours and then send them home with pain killers.”  Kathryn raised her eyebrow at Yeats to see if he’d rise to her challenge.  “There’s nothing more you can do for me than what you’ve already done.  You’ve bound my ribs and set my shoulder.  And any other scrapes and bruises I have will heal in time.  The wound in my neck was just a glancing blow.  Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here now.”

“True,” Yeats agreed.  “Which is why I’m putting Doctor Paxton’s sister in charge of _you_.”  The doctor turned to the fourteen-year-old and started giving the teen instructions on looking after their mutual friend.  “Sergeant Keith-Tracy is not allowed to do any heavy lifting for the next few days.  Actually, she’s to take it easy in everything until I give her the all clear.”  He glared at the sergeant.  “You are on light duty until I clear you to return to active duty.”

“Don’t worry,” Kathryn shot back, “I’m going to use the time to catch up on some of my paperwork.”

“Good.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Sometimes, Alan really hated being the youngest.  Especially when there was four and one-half years between him and the brother he _thought_ he was closest to.  He couldn’t understand why Gordon wouldn’t play with him anymore.  The ten-year-old knew that he could go and find Fermat, but the young genius was spending time with his own father.  And with Tin Tin, there was only so much that Alan could handle with the girl.  He preferred to play with boys.

Knocking on Gordon’s bedroom door, Alan waited for the fifteen-year-old to answer.  When Gordon did, Alan was told not too kindly to scram.

Alan glowered at the locked door and crossed his arms.  “Gordon, I’m bored!”

“Go bug John or Virgil,” Gordon shot back.  “I’m busy!”

Alan stomped away from the door.  The end of Spring Break couldn’t come quick enough for the boy as he found out that both Virgil and John were also too busy catching up on their school assignments to pay much attention to their youngest brother.

By the time the older boys had finished their work and realised that Alan had come looking for some form of entertainment, it was approaching dinner time.  John felt terrible and went to apologise.  But Alan wasn’t in his room, or anywhere in the home.  Arriving in the lounge, the blond seventeen-year-old looked around and spotted Fermat and Tin Tin playing a game of _last card_.  “Fermat, Tin Tin, have you seen Alan at all since lunch?”

Both pre-teens frowned and then shook their heads.

“I thought he said he was going to spend the afternoon with you guys,” Tin Tin returned.  “I got the impression he missed spending time with you because you’re all busy with your own things at school.”

Upon hearing that, John paled slightly.  He realised that though Alan still talked to him and their other brothers, the younger boy did often get pushed to the side.  Scott, being eight years older than Alan, had already left school and the two of them didn’t really have all that much in common.  He (John) had been really busy finishing off his senior year; Virgil was really beginning to find himself in his music and art while Gordon was competing on a national level with his swimming.  Come to think of it, during the semester Alan more often than not was pushed to this side and left to his own devices and John could very well imagine that the only other blond in the family had just wanted some quality time with his brothers during the break.

John ran a hand over his face as he came to the realisation that Alan had been pushed to the side yet again while his brothers focused on their own pursuits. 

“Do you know where he would have gone?” John asked the pre-teens.

Both Tin Tin and Fermat shrugged.  They’d occupied their own time since lunch and when they’d last talked to Alan.

John turned on his heel and went to look for Virgil and Gordon so that they could help him find Alan.  The last thing that John wanted to do was to tell their father that Alan had disappeared because none of his brothers had been paying attention.

Fermat put down his cards and stood up.  “W-wait up, J-john.  I-I’ll he-help you find Alan.”

Tin Tin also put down her cards and followed after the two boys.  “I’ll help too.  After all, Alan’s my friend.”

“Thanks,” John said.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jeff looked up from his computer as he heard a knock on his office door.  “Come,” he called out.  John stepped inside.

“Have you seen Alan at all today, Dad?”

The father frowned slightly.  “Not since lunch.  I thought that he’d be spending the afternoon with you boys.”

A guilty look passed across the blond teen’s face.  “I guess we were all distracted doing our own things today.  None of us have actually seen him since lunch either.  I asked Tin and Fermat, but they hadn’t seen Alan either.”

“So Alan’s out there on this island without any supervision?  What were you thinking?”

John looked shocked at the gruff tone issuing out of Jeff’s mouth.  “Dad, I was busy trying to finish a project for school.  I know I should have paid more attention to Alan this afternoon.  It was just this one time, and I thought that he’d spend the afternoon with one of the others.”

Jeff took a deep breath.  “Perhaps he hasn’t gone far from the compound.”  The man stood up and walked over to his son.  “Help me find the little surprise.”

The two of them made it down to the living area and were just about to walk out on the patio when Virgil and Gordon pulled Alan into the lower pool.  Tin Tin and Fermat appeared on the other side of the pool where the three Tracy boys had appeared.  Both Jeff and John breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Alan had been found.  Alan scowled at his older brothers as he pulled himself out of the pool.

“You didn’t have to get me wet!” the ten-year-old growled.

“We wouldn’t have to if you’d just stuck around inside and hadn’t run off like a baby!” Gordon teased back.

“Shove it, fish face!” Alan returned and stuck out his tongue in retaliation.

Gordon’s expression darkened as he swam to the side of the pool.  Jeff thought that it was time for him to interrupt the argument before it got any further.  “Okay, boys.  Time to get inside and dry off.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Scott looked up from his book when he heard a rap at his door.  “It’s open!” the nineteen-year-old called out, returning his attention to his studies.

“Permission to enter, cadet?” a deep voice asked.  It was one that Scott would recognise anywhere.  Jolting up from his desk, the teen’s eyes landed on the familiar figure of his father.

“Dad!  What are you doing here?”

“I was just dropping the boys off at school and I wanted to see how you were doing.”  The teen cocked up an eyebrow at his father.  Jeff shifted slightly.  “And I had some work to do in New York.”

Scott grinned.  “That’s more like it.  How’s that actually going?  The work on the Island?”

“Slowly.  We’re still not ready to fully roll out yet.”

“Will you let me know when you are?”

Jeff laughed and moved to sit on his son’s bed.  “You’d hear about it on the news most probably.  But sure.  You’d be the first I let know.”

“Behind Brains, of course,” Scott shot back.

“He won’t need telling.”  The billionaire looked over at his first born son and had a pensive look on his face.  “It does look like you’re busy with the bookwork, so I shouldn’t really cut into your precious time…” the man trailed and shot his son a forlorn look.

Scott looked down at his books and then across to his father.  He frowned in confusion before he caught a glint of teasing in his father’s face.  “You’re teasing me, Dad!  Of course I’m gonna make time for you.  After all, it’s not that often that you actually come out and visit.”

Jeff fully smiled at that.  He knew he’d get a rise out of his son.  “Come on, I’ll treat you dinner.”

The teen stood.  “Thanks.”  His phone rang out and the young man picked it up with a guilty look on his face.  “Sorry Dad…”

“Important social call?” Jeff teased.

“No,” Scott returned with a frown on his face before he caught himself.  “Actually, that didn’t come out right.  It’s Alan.”  He answered the phone.  “Hiya Sprout.”

_“Scotty, did you hear about that army base explosion?”_

The nineteen-year-old’s eyes widened and he looked over at his father.  “What army base explosion?”

_“I heard one of Virgil’s friends mention that there was an explosion in Colorado Springs at the army base.  Isn’t that where Katie is?”_

“Katie was probably nowhere near the explosion, Alan.”  Scott again looked at his father with worried eyes.  “Take a deep breath, Sprout, and tell me of your spring break.”

Jeff’s eyes widened at what Scott (and the occasional responses he could hear from Alan).  The man hadn’t heard a lot from Kathryn over the spring break, and yet he knew that she _had_ been caught in the explosion at the army base.  He had kept it from his sons because he thought that they would needlessly worry.

 _“Break was boring.  And_ don’t _call me sprout.”_

Scott smiled at the protest of the nickname everyone in the family had come to associate with Alan.  “That doesn’t tell me anything, Al.  What did you do?”

 _“Not much.  The others didn’t spend time with me._ ”

“I’m sure they didn’t realise-” the older brother began before he was cut off by an angry little brother.

_“Of course they did!  Don’t patronise me, Scotty.  I know I’m just the little brother that’s an annoyance to every older brother he has!”_

Jeff moved to Scott’s side and asked for the phone.  Scott happily handed the phone over to his father.  “Alan, I can’t speak for your brothers, but I know that I appreciate the last gift Mom gave to me – you.  Never underestimate what you mean to us.  You’re the reason I kept going after Mom died.”

_“Really?”_

“Really.  Don’t worry about Kathryn.  She’s fine.”

_“So you talked to her?”_

Jeff smiled to himself.  “Yes, I’ve talked to her.”

_“She didn’t get hurt?”_

“She’s got a few scrapes and bruises, but she’s fine.  Sophia’s looking after her.”

_“Okay.  Talk to you later.”_

Jeff didn’t have time to say goodbye to Alan as he heard the click of the line going dead.  Looking at his firstborn, the man handed Scott back the phone.  Scott frowned slightly as he took the phone from his father.

“So there’s nothing going on at home that I should be aware of, Dad?”

“Nothing that I can’t deal with, Scott.”  Jeff looked over at the desk Scott had been working at and asked, “So is there any way I can persuade you to leave your schoolwork for a while and join me for a bite to eat?”

Scott grinned.  “Now, what teen would say no to free food?”

Jeff returned his son’s smile though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.  Alan’s behaviour over the break had raised a few questions in the father’s mind, but after that rough patch, things had returned to normal.  Well, as normal as life could be with six very active children on the island.  And yet, there was still a hint of worry within the father’s heart that things were not exactly as they seemed.  He doubted Kathryn would have told him about the incident on the base in Colorado if he hadn’t brought it up the last time they’d talked.  That was another concern of his – Kathryn was drifting farther away from the family, or him since she’d entered the army.

“Dad, are you okay?” Scott’s voice broke through Jeff’s musings.

Jeff nodded.  “I will be.  Shall we go?”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

It was nearing the end of May and Andrew Graham was a man on a mission.  He leaned through the window of the taxi and paid the driver the fare.  It had been a long while since he’d taken any time off to visit family.  In fact, there were only two times that he could remember in the past three years where he’d actually put in for his annual leave from the biotech company he worked for in Kansas City.

Picking up his bags, he looked around the entrance to Fort Carson.

“May I help you sir?” the young lieutenant asked at the gate.

Andrew turned his attention to the woman who had spoken before giving her a nod.  “I’m here visiting my niece.  Sergeant Keith-Tracy.”

“Just a moment sir.  I will have to see your credentials.”

The man stepped closer to the fence and placed his bags down.  “That’s fine with me.”  He pulled out his wallet and handed over his driver’s licence.  “Will that do?”

“Certainly.” 

A horn blared from behind Andrew.  Turning around to see who was coming up behind him, the 41-year-old sighed and let the army truck through.

“Here you are, sir.”  The lieutenant handed Andrew back his licence.  “Does the sergeant know that you are coming and can she verify who you are?”

“Of course she would be able to verify who I am.  And I haven’t been able to get hold of her lately.”  Andrew hoped that that would not deter Lieutenant Keene from allowing him through.  “I thought I would come and see how she was going.”

“Next time, I would suggest calling ahead.  Otherwise, we may not let you through.  You will have to wait here until I can get Sergeant Keith-Tracy to come and verify who you are.  After all, you still could be a spy.”

The 41-year-old almost laughed at that.  “Me?  A spy?  For which nation?”

“This is no laughing matter, sir.  You will have to wait here until I call Sergeant Keith-Tracy to identify that you are who you say you are.”

Andrew sighed and followed the young lieutenant into the gatehouse.  He wondered if it would have been better for him to head to Wichita to see Susan and Ryan, or even Florida or New York.  As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he dismissed it.  He’d seen Su and her family over the Easter period and kept in constant connection with Lucy’s sons.  The only family he hadn’t seen since Gordon’s state swimming champs last December was Kathryn.

It was almost half an hour later when Andrew got permission to enter the base.  Waiting on the other side of the gate was someone he wasn’t expecting to see.  “Doctor Paxton?”

“Yes, Mr. Graham.  Kate’s on duty right now.  When she got the message you were here to visit, she asked me to come out to meet you.”

Andrew frowned and asked, “Is there something going on between the two of you?”

Jude smiled slightly as he thought of his girlfriend.  “Considering we’ve been going out for the past nine months, I’d say so.  You know, she’s talked a lot about you, and her Aunt Susan.”

“Nothing bad, I hope.”

“I’ve heard nothing but good things.  You were there for her and the boys after their mom died.  I know how hard it is to grow up without a mother.”

“You’ve also lost your mother?”

Jude looked Andrew over as he nodded.  He hardly ever mentioned his mother, or father, outside the people he was closest to.  “I was nine.  I’ve basically raised my younger sister on my own since then.”

Andrew looked at the young man with compassion.  “I am sorry for your loss.”

“It was a long time ago.”

The older man thought it was time for a change in subject and asked, “How is Katie doing?”

“She’s doing much better now.”  Jude gave his girlfriend’s uncle a tight smile.  “It was hard coming back from a recent trip of mine to find out she’d been injured in a war game on base.”

Andrew stopped short when he heard that.  “ _What?”_

“Didn’t Mr. Tracy tell you?  He came through here last week asking after her.  Katie was asked to lead a tactical strike team against another team out west of here, near the base of the mountains.  The area, we found out later, was the burial site of a number of WWII strike bombs.  One was unburied in the games and was hit during the firefight.  Kate got most of her team clear before the blast went off.  But she got caught and ended up on light duty for nearly a month.  She’s only just started with her regular duties this past week.”

The 41-year-old’s face paled at what was being said.  He hadn’t heard a lot about the base incident.  And Jeff certainly _hadn’t_ told him what had happened to his oldest niece.  “But she’s fine, right?  You’re looking after her?”

“She’s fine and I try to,” Jude assured the man.  “If I’m not around, then Sophia steps in for me.”

Andrew was glad that Kathryn had found someone that knew how to look out for her.  Not that he was too sure about the paediatrician yet.  “As an overprotective uncle, may I ask what your attentions are toward my niece?”

“I love her, sir.  I intend to marry her.”  Jude patted his pockets down and felt the ring in his breast pocket.

“You’ve got a ring?”

“My mother’s.  I’ve been carrying it around since I came back from my trip.”

Andrew raised his eyebrows at that.  The kid definitely meant business if he was carrying around an engagement ring for four weeks.  “What does Jeff think about his little girl getting married?”

“I haven’t asked his permission yet.  I thought one bombshell was big enough the last time he came through.”  Jude looked over at the biotechnician.  “I don’t think Jeff wants to think of _any_ of his children being old enough to date, let alone marry.”

With that, Andrew laughed.  “True.”  The two of them were almost at Kathryn’s apartment (a good twenty minute walk from the main gate) when Andrew asked, “So what was the bombshell you dropped on my dear brother-in-law?”

Jude shrugged.  “I mentioned that Kathryn’s my girlfriend.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn flicked her phone on as she picked up her small overnight bag and walked out her front door.  “Keith-Tracy.”

_“May I ask where you would be going?”_

The woman snorted and replied, “Hello to you too, JP.  And I thought I told you yesterday that I’ve got some time off to go to my brother’s graduation.”

She heard Jude’s laughter on the other end of the line.  “ _You did.  But I thought you’d like to be flown in style.”_

Placing her gear on the ground, Kathryn tucked the phone in between her shoulder and ear while she locked the front door of her apartment.  “What do you mean?  My flight leaves in an hour, and I need you to get me to the airport.”

The laughter grew louder and wasn’t just coming from her phone.  Looking around, Kathryn spotted Jude leaning against his car.  He switched off his phone and came to stand behind her.  “I know.  But for some reason, there’s a charter plane waiting for you at the airport.  You’ll be leaving as soon as I can get you there.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

The man leaned down and kissed the sergeant’s nose.  “I can’t.  I’ve got to work this afternoon.  But I know this wonderful man who’d really like to mend a few bridges with you.”

“You’ve been talking to Dad?”

“Yeah.  Like I went and talked to Hannah a couple of months ago.  Jeff really cares about you.”

“Don’t start.”

Jude lowered his gaze and released his hold on his girlfriend.  Girlfriend.  He liked calling Kathryn that.  After that very first day when he’d ended up in her office and seeing her for the first time, he’d imagined life with her by his side.  “Family’s important to me.  And you’re so lucky to have so many people around you that love you.”

Kathryn’s eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips.  “Yeah?  Where have they been in the last seven years?”

“Where have _you_ been for _them_?”

“I took care of my brothers!  I still talk to them.”

Jude shook his head and decided not to push the matter further.  Whenever Kathryn got into a defensive mood, he wished to be a hundred miles from the fallout.  “I just don’t want to see you become like Anthony.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Kathryn, I went to see him.  The man was self-destructive, and from what I could see, and what I’ve found out from Jeff, you’re becoming more and more like him.”

Kathryn glared at her boyfriend and sank into the passenger seat of his car.  She pulled the door shut forcefully.  Jude winced at the slamming of the car door.  Picking up the bag Kathryn had deposited at his feet, he made his way around the car to the trunk and placed the bag inside.  Oh, how he wished that he didn’t _have_ to bring up Kathryn’s destructive tendencies to push everybody away.  It had taken him so long to actually break through them to get her to agree to _one_ date, and then eventually to become his _girlfriend._   He didn’t want to go backwards with that.

Neither of them spoke all the way to the airport.  Once there, Jude looked Kathryn over and he shook his head.  It seemed that Kathryn hadn’t heard a word he’d said.

That was until she spoke.  “Do you really see my father in me?”

“You’re stubborn, pig-headed, always trying to get your own way and to be honest; I don’t know how I could ever believe I can live without you.”

Kathryn snorted dryly.  “I got those from my mother.”

“I love you, Kay-see.”

“Thanks for the lift.  I’ll see you Friday.”

Jude watched Kathryn as she made her way around the car and wondered if he’d wrecked things for good between the two of them.  Hopefully, Jeff would manage to get through to the stubborn 23-year-old.  At least she was willing to be there to support her brothers as they graduated.  But there was more that the paediatrician wanted for Kathryn.  He wanted her to have the close relationship with her family that he’d heard about in all the stories he (and Sophia) had heard about the Tracy’s.


	12. Summer, Fall and Winter 2031

Kathryn had a lot to think about as she sat in the cabin of her father’s private jet.  When Jeff had picked up his daughter three days before in Colorado Springs, the 44-year-old had thought it would give him a much needed chance of actually seeing how Kathryn was doing.  Instead, she’d thanked him for making the effort of picking her up, and then proceeded to remain quiet for the rest of the trip.

But the man knew something was wrong when his daughter remained withdrawn the three days they had spent in Miami – even with John.  So when John, with Virgil’s help, offered to fly the family home, Jeff had jumped at the chance of spending a little more time with his silent daughter in the cabin.  Alan, Gordon and Fermat had flown back to the island the previous day with Scott and Brains.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jeff began as he sank into the chair opposite Kathryn’s.

Kathryn didn’t bother looking up from her tablet.  “About what?”

Looking over his daughter, the billionaire wondered how to bring up anything he’d noticed over the years.  He swallowed and focused his attention on Kathryn’s face.  He could see more of Lucy coming through in the young woman’s features.  He’d seen many of the same facial expressions Lucy had given him reflected in their daughter’s face, right down to the way Kathryn would purse her lips when she was amused or annoyed.  Right now, though, Jeff couldn’t really determine what the 23-year-old was thinking.  “We’ve missed you,” he said in way of breaking the silence.

Still, she didn’t look up from what held her interest.  “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Are you going to sit on that thing the whole flight or are you going to put it down and actually talk to me?”

Kathryn finally looked up at her father.  “What is the point?  I don’t really seem needed anymore.  By the sounds of it, everything’s just fine and dandy for the rest of you living on your own private island.  From what I could pick up, you’ve even moved on from Mom.”

“I will _never_ move on from loving Luce.”

“Could’ve fooled Uncle Andy and Trish.”

Jeff frowned.  “What does that mean?”

“You seem to have been visiting London rather a lot lately, haven’t you?”

“To set up the new office there, and to make sure things run smoothly.”

“Oh, so that’s what you’re calling it,” Kathryn shot back sarcastically.  “I wonder what _else_ you’ve been doing.  I distinctly recall hearing about a woman in pink from Trish.”

“Lady Penelope?” Jeff asked with a frown.  “What does she have to do with this?”

“So that’s what her name is.  Is she a business acquaintance or is the relationship more of a… how should I put this politely… _voluptuous_ nature?”  Jeff’s jaw dropped.  Kathryn’s eyes widened and she began to worry her lower lip, unable to continue looking at her father.

“You need to wash out your mouth, young lady.  Why would you ask such a thing?  I would _never_ go there.”

Kathryn shrugged and made a pattern with her shoe on the floor in front of her.  Jeff picked up on the fact that there was something close to the surface that his princess wanted to express but just didn’t know how to bring it up.  A ghost of a smile crossed his face as he connected the nervous pattern tracing Kathryn was doing with something that Lucy had done a number of times over their marriage.  “Baby girl, it’s not good keeping everything locked away.  Someone wise once told me that.”

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly and she raised her eyes to look up at her father.  He gave her an encouraging smile.

“Jude and I had an argument before I left.  About me – and my father.”

Jeff knew instantly that the argument hadn’t involved _him_ , but Anthony.  No wonder Kathryn had been withdrawn from the family during the past few days.  He swallowed.  What could he say to that?  “Baby girl, you don’t have to let that man rule over you for the rest of your life.”

“How can you say that?”

“Anthony is a self-absorbed pitiful man would doesn’t know how to respect himself or the people around him.  I wish you’d never had anything to do with him, but I also know I couldn’t have kept him from you when you asked about him.  _You_ don’t have to let his example rule over you.”

“But what do I do?  He’s my biological father.”

“The way I see it, princess, is that you can continue wishing for acceptance from him you’ll never get, or you can think of the people who will love and accept you no matter what happens.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jude was waiting for the Tracy’s at the airport with Sophia.  He looked nervously at his sister.  “So you’ll distract Kate while I talk to Jeff?”

“I already said I would.  And I keep my word, don’t I?”

“Yeah.  You do, brat.”

“But you love me anyway!” the teen smirked and proceeded to poke out her tongue.  Jude lightly punched her shoulder in mock horror.  Sophia rubbed it as though the blow had hurt (even though her brother had barely touched her shoulder) and laughed.  “Don’t worry.  It’ll be fine.”

“Oh, it’s easy for you to say.  You don’t have to face up to an overprotective father.”

“One day I might.”

The 24-year-old gave his sister a tight smile and then spotted Kathryn heading toward the two siblings with her father and two of her brothers.  “Oh help.  John and Virgil are with them.”

“That would be good; they can help me distract Sergeant Kate.”

Jude closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath.  Opening them again, he smiled down at his sister.  “Wish me luck.”

Sophia pulled the end of her ponytail over her shoulder and started playing with the chestnut strands.  “As long as Kate doesn’t explode at you again,” she muttered under her breath.  Both siblings knew of Kathryn’s temper, and Jude _had_ admitted he’d had a disagreement with his girlfriend on the way to the airport. 

The paediatrician turned his brown eyes toward his sister.  “I heard that!”

“It’s true.”

“What’s true?” Kathryn asked as she stopped in front of the siblings.

Sophia looked up from her hair.  “That we missed you.”

The sergeant raised an eyebrow and levelled her hazel gaze on Jude.  “I’m sure you have.”

Jude pursed his lips.  “Soph, why don’t you take John and Virgil ahead to the car.”

“We can’t stay long,” Jeff put in just as Sophia pulled John and Virgil along with her.

Kathryn rolled her eyes when it seemed like Jude was ignoring her.  Huffing, she turned to her father.  “Thanks for the lift, Dad.  I’ll talk to you later.”  She proceeded to follow her two brothers and the girl she’d come to think of as a sister.

Jude followed the four of them with his gaze before gathering up his courage to look the billionaire in the eye.  “Sir, I just wanted a moment alone with you before you leave again.  I asked Sophia to run interference.”

Jeff steadied his gaze on the young man in front of him.  Something in Jude’s tone caused the man to listen.  “Did you want to ask me something?”

The younger man swallowed and answered, “Yes.  I know that Kate and I aren’t quite seeing eye to eye at the moment, but I love her anyway.  I love her so much that I can’t imagine my life without her.”

“How much of her past has she told you?”

“Enough to know that her past and my own past are similar.  We both were forced to grow up and take responsibilities that neither of us was ready for.  I must admit, Kathryn was older than I was when I lost my mother, but at least I didn’t have to relive seeing her die.”  Jude paused and took another deep breath.  He glanced over his shoulder toward the exit and saw Kathryn standing there with her arms folded across her chest.  “I’ve seen Kate go through some really bad stuff the last two years, and I know that she really needs someone to rely on.  Someone who’s willing to always be there for her.”

“And to stand up to her,” Jeff put in.

“Now you’re just putting words into my mouth.”

The older man shook his head slightly.  “It’s something that I haven’t done well since my mother died.  I know Kathryn really admires you.  And…  I’m glad she’s found someone who looks out for her.”

 Jude was surprised at that admittance from Jeff Tracy.  “Sir, I would like your blessing to marry Kate.  For so long, it’s just been Sophia and me.  What I’d like to be able to do is call Kate and your family a part of my family too.”

Jeff closed his eyes.  In his mind’s eye, he saw Kathryn as he first knew her – a little hazel eyed, ginger haired girl of two, strapped in her car seat reading her favourite book.  When she’d looked at him with her head tilted to one side, he’d already fallen hopelessly in love – with both Keith women.  “I’ve really noticed a change in Kathryn since she’s met you.  I give you my blessing.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

“How’s the fusion engine coming along?” Jeff asked Brains.  It was the middle of July and Jeff had agreed to take his sons to Australia for a week if they allowed him time beforehand to organise and complete all his paperwork for Tracy Enterprises.  All of them had agreed (minus Scott who had already flown back to Yale after a two week break on the island).

So Jeff and Brains had gone done to the hidden hanger bay where the completed Thunderbird 2 was stored and they were making some of the final touches to the first of Thunderbird 1’s engines.

“I th-think th-this time I-I have it, Mi-Mister T-Tracy,” Brains returned.

The billionaire moved to the blueprint Brains was working on.  Thunderbird 1 was the only main craft that they had yet to finish.  Thunderbird 3, their rocket, had been completed first so they could set up the orbital communications satellite and then Thunderbird 2.  It was just before the end of the school year when they actually finished installing the software packages on the space station so they could bring it online.  They were planning on running a full diagnostic of the space station after they delivered the boys back to school – or in the case of John, Harvard.

Picking up a tool, Jeff moved off to continue working on the three-man submarine they were going to store in Thunderbird 2.

It was toward the end of the day when Jeff heard his phone ringing.  He pulled himself out from underneath the yellow sub and looked around for his jacket.  Finding the jacket draped across the back of the chair, he reached into the pocket and pulled out his cell phone to answer it.

“Jeff Tracy.”

_“Hi, Daddy.”_

“Kathryn.  How are you?”

_“I’m okay.  How’re my brothers?”_

Jeff smiled slightly.  “They’re great.  Scott’s doing really well at Yale.  John’s enrolled at Harvard for the Fall semester, and the others all brought home good reports for their school year.”

_“So what’s Johnny going to be studying?”_

“Surprisingly, Electronics and Communications.”

The father heard his daughter laugh on the other end of the line.  _“Well, I’m sure he’ll be looking for a place within your organisation once he graduates if he doesn’t go to NASA first._ ”

“You know John well.  He _is_ planning to go onto NASA once he gets his degree.”

_“How much of it has he already done?”_

At that question, Jeff smiled again.  Cradling the phone between his ear and shoulder, the man grabbed a rag and wiped his greasy hands.  “At least a year from what his teachers were telling me at his graduation.  John’s come a long way since you left home.”  He sighed and placed the rag down.  Grabbing the phone again with his hand, Jeff said, “We miss having you around here, Kathryn.”

_“You wouldn’t want us to remain children forever, Dad.  We can’t all be Peter Pan.”_

The 44-year-old snorted.  “You’ve been talking to Gordon.”

_“What?  Hasn’t Copper-Top gotten out of the phase of ‘I don’t wanna grow up’ yet?”_

“When it comes to practical jokes, no.  All joking aside, how are things in Colorado Springs?”

He heard a soft sigh coming over the line.  _“It’s been busy.  Fi’s been over most days, and Jude’s been a lifesaver, making sure that I actually eat.  I sat my final exams for the ISPA programme last week.”_

“How did that go?”

_“I won’t know for another two weeks.”_

“Let me know when you find out.  How was your birthday?”

_“So busy that I almost forgot it.  There were so many things going on at the base and hospital that it kept me busy all day.  It wasn’t until Jude took me out for dinner that I remembered.”_

Jeff smiled into the phone, although he knew Kathryn couldn’t see it.  “He sounds like he really cares about you.”

_“He asked me to marry him.”_

“And what did you say?”

_“We’re discussing a date.  Can you let me know when vacation times are for my brothers?  I want to have a ceremony with them all there.”_

“I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

 _“Thanks, Dad.”_   There was a pause on the other end of the line and Jeff heard a page he couldn’t quite make out.  _“I’ve got to go.  Love you.”_   The next moment, the man heard the click of the call ending.

Jeff looked up from where he’d seated himself to find that he was alone in the hanger.  Brains must have gone up to the main house during his conversation with Kathryn.  He looked at his watch and decided that it was time that he followed suit.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

There was a lot of talk at the dinner table that night on Tracy Island.  John, it seemed, had taken over the travel plans that were to take place at the end of the week.  He’d asked each of his brothers to list down one thing they’d like to do while on vacation with their dad, and had then proceeded to plan a day’s activities around said brother’s activity.

Each son had then proceeded to inform him what they’d like to do on their chosen day.

Jeff smiled and took the planning all in stride.  It wouldn’t do any harm to actually follow the planning because he knew that John would have organised everything well.  Once the vacation plans had been discussed to its full extent, Jeff got the family to settle down.

“I got a phone call from Kathryn earlier today.”  The billionaire was interrupted with disgruntled exclamations from each and every one of his sons.  Raising his hand for silence, he waited until they had stopped talking before he began again.  “I would have let you talk to her if she only had time.  She was on a break when she called, so she didn’t really have a lot of time to get passed around everyone.  I’m sure you’ll be hearing from her in the coming weeks.  There is something that she’d like me to tell you.  Jude asked her to marry him.”

“Really?  Are they gonna get married?” Alan asked.

“Yes, they are.  I don’t know the date yet, but it’ll be sometime during one of your breaks.”

John looked own at his plate as the younger boys all erupted with excitement.  The 18-year-old excused himself from the table.  Jeff frowned but allowed his second eldest to leave the table.  It seemed that not everyone in the family was happy for Kathryn’s impending nuptial.  And the father wasn’t sure how to approach the situation with John.  Or Kathryn.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

When Kathryn heard what John’s initial reaction was to her engagement, she offered to have him stay with her for the final two weeks of the summer before he went off to Harvard.  John wasn’t too thrilled with the idea at first until his sister reminded him of the time he’d asked to come and actually live with her over a summer years before.  He’d grudgingly agreed to spend the time with her.

Once he arrived in Colorado Springs, it soon became apparent _why_ Kathryn had invited him.  She wasn’t one to address her feelings well, but John could recall the way his sister had looked three years before when she’d confessed she felt left out of the family.  Out of all their siblings, the relationship between Kathryn and John had been the strongest when they lived in Kansas.  John, and perhaps Alan, had always gone to Kate when something was troubling them.  And usually, if Kathryn wanted someone to talk to other than Lucy, she had gone to John, even though there was nearly a six year age gap between them.

John smiled at his sister as she dropped him off at the airport.  “Thanks for talking me into staying with you, Katie.”

She returned his smile and led the way toward the security checkpoint.  “Thanks for coming, John.  I never realised how much I’ve actually missed out on over the last six years.”

He stopped and looked her over.  Kathryn was dressed in her Army Regs, with her shoulder length hair tightly done up in a French plait.  Under her left arm, she carried her cover.  “You know, Jude isn’t so bad.”

“Why do you think I’m marrying him?”

“Because he actually looks out for you and gets you to listen.  And I wouldn’t mind calling Sophia my little sister either, after all this.”

“John – thanks so much for coming.  I really appreciate it.”

The blond moved closer to the checkpoint and reached for his boarding pass.  He stopped again, thinking back over his time with Kathryn.  Looking over his shoulder, he saw her worrying her lower lip.  He moved back to stand by her.  “Kate, when I heard you were getting married to Jude, I wasn’t sure if you still needed me.  It was like when you left for the army, you no longer needed us as a family.  That you were willing to move on and make your own.”

Kathryn swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat and her hazel eyes swelled with tears.  “That is as far from the truth as you can get, Johnny.  I know the past few years have been tough, for all of us, but I could not wish for a better family than the one I was adopted into.  It’s taken me so long for me to realise that.  And I only found that out because Jude _pushed_ me to seek help.”

“You would have really _loved_ that,” John returned.  Both siblings knew that Kathryn wasn’t one for talking or actually sorting her own life out without a little push from someone who cared.  “Is that something else I need to thank Jude for?”

“Oh, the man is as stubborn as they come.  He reminds me of Dad sometimes, but at least he cares enough to get me to seek help.  He doesn’t even care if I don’t actually talk to him initially, as long as I tell him the general gist.”

John smiled at what Kathryn was saying.  “Kinda reminds me of how Mum was sometimes.  I overheard a few of her discussions with Dad about us and how much Dad worked sometimes.”

“Yeah.  They did argue a lot over how much time Dad spent in his business and not focusing on us at home.  I made a lot of mistakes because of that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s just say I’ve found a more stable footing now and leave it at that.”  Kathryn didn’t really want to discuss with her teenaged brother how much Jeff’s absence affected her decision making during her mid to late teens.  Andrew was good during that period, but he wasn’t Jeff.  Kathryn desperately wanted Jeff to be a dad to her to show her the way through dating and making right choices in relationships, and he hadn’t been there to do that.  “You’d better go, or else you’ll miss your flight.”

“Thanks, Katie.  Let me know when you set a date.”

“Will do.  Love you Johnny.”

“Love you too.”

The last thing that John saw as he went through the security gate was Kathryn placing her cover on her head and walking back toward the exit.  He smiled softly to himself and went through the last of the screening for his flight.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jude was frustrated.  In fact, he was beyond frustrated as he looked his fiancée over.  “What do you mean?  You could’ve said no!”

Kathryn set her jaw.  “What would you have me do, JP?  Say no when they tell me I have a tour to do in the Middle East?”

“Yes!”

“You are infuriating!  _Nobody_ questions orders in the Army.  If they were that stupid, they’d be written up and hounded until they left the army.  Even then saying no to orders would hang over that person for the rest of their life!  Would you really want that hanging over my head?”

“Pftt!  You could go work for your father.”

The young woman narrowed her eyes.  “And _why_ the _hell_ would I want to work for _that_ jackass?”

Jude turned his back to his fiancée and balled up his fists.  He hadn’t meant to refer to Anthony, but in essence, he had.  Jeff had mentioned to him not even a year ago now that to Kathryn, there _was_ a huge difference between ‘father’ and ‘dad’.  “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

“Do I?” she quietly asked.

His anger deflated.  It wasn’t the first time that Kathryn had become quiet during a heated moment.  But it certainly was a change from how she would usually react.  She’d get all fired up about whatever it was they were arguing about and they’d fight the argument out.  When she used the quiet voice, it was like she’d already made up her mind and there was no point in the argument.  Jude looked her over and moved to embrace her.  He knew deep down he’d lost the argument and there was no changing her mind when she was determined.  “Katie, why do you have to go now?”

“The way I see it, my stint is up in two years.  The army has been training me hard and well so they need to use what skills I bring while they still can.”

“Can’t you tell them that we’re getting married soon?”

“I did.  They told me to change my plans.  They expect me in Tel Aviv a week tomorrow.”

“Where does that leave us?”

Kathryn gave Jude a sad smile.  “We’ve got three options.  Option A: wait until after my tour is up, which would be mid next year.”  He immediately shook his head.  “I didn’t like that one much either.  Option B: not worry about a ceremony and just have the licence signed before I ship out.”

“Without a ceremony?  Your dad would kill me.”

“He wouldn’t, but I understand what you mean.  That brings me to Option C and the only viable option.  I know we started discussing having my whole family with us, but given the time, we can plan a big party for them once my tour’s over.  What we need to do is call my dad out now and see when he can get here.  We find a small chapel and have a few of our friends from base come and we can get Dad and Sophia to sign as witnesses.”

“What about a wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses?”

She leaned up and gently kissed his lips.  “I forgot to mention that I’ve got this week off to pack up my flat and I’ll have time to go shopping.  If Sophia doesn’t mind having a day off school to go shopping and getting pampered?  I’ve got the perfect dress in mind for her, and money is not a problem.”  When Jude looked at her confused, Kathryn gave him a genuine grin.  “Have you forgotten that I’m the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the world and that he’s put aside money for me?”

“Is that standard for the rich and powerful?”

“I don’t know about anybody else, but Dad taught me that money is not free.  He taught me to work for what I get.  But he’s not stingy in giving me, or my brothers, an allowance as long as he sees us work for it.”

Jude didn’t bother asking about how she’d earned her allowance: she’d taken care of her brothers for two years on her own without much thanks at the time.  He sighed.  “I don’t like it much, but Option C is the best one that I can think of.”

“So, if I can get hold of Dad, can you pick up the marriage licence from the post office?”

The man frowned.  “How long have you known?”

“Three days,” she admitted.  “I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“So you organised for the licence to be done and came up with a viable plan to actually get it used?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.  It’s been really hard to think straight when it seemed like I was finally getting my dream.  Getting those orders on Monday just shattered that.”

Jude took a step back from Kathryn and really studied her face.  Her eyes were closed and her lower lip was trembling.  He cupped her chin and tilted her face up so he could look her in her eyes.  She opened her eyes and met his warm brown gaze.  “And I’m part of your dream?”

“A huge part.  You’ve helped me realise that life is more than just doing my own thing my own way.  You’ve taught me that family is not just about who is related to you, but who you care about.  I wanted so much to have my family whole again, and being able to trust you with my heart–” she stopped.  There were tears pouring down her face.  He cupped her face and wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs.

His throat tightened when he saw the level of trust she placed in him.  It was humbling by far.  Kathryn found it so hard to open herself up to people and to have her admit to him that she’d let him in past her defences, well, that was huge.  “Katie, we can still make that dream happen.  It doesn’t matter to me now that you couldn’t say no.  You’re still willing to make this relationship work…”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

When Jeff returned to Tracy Island after his rushed trip out to see Kathryn and Jude, he could finally relax.  Not that his mind would actually allow him to relax after he’d worked out why the couple had called him to Colorado Springs post haste.

His daughter had explained that she was required to go on a tour in the Middle East for the following eight months or so, and she hadn’t really wanted to wait that long to get married.  As she put it, if she and Jude had waited until after her tour, it would have been another year or more before they’d actually be able to sit down and plan the wedding.  Their engagement would have lasted at least 18 months before they’d gotten to the point of tying the knot.

Marrying before her deployment meant that their engagement was no more than two months in length, but they had to forgo having the family present.  At least they had the courtesy of asking him to attend the small wedding ceremony at the Army Base and to give his daughter away.  He looked down at his phone at the photo that he took on it.  Kathryn looked beautiful in the gown.  She positively glowed throughout the day and at the family meal he paid for.

He gave a wistful smile as he thought about his Lucy and how much their daughter reminded him of her.  Lucy wouldn’t have waited either if she’d found out he was heading to Space for an indefinite time right before their wedding.

“Is everything alright, Mister Tracy?”

Jeff looked up at the sound of Tin Tin Kyrano’s voice.  “Yes.  Things are fine, Tin Tin.”  But, oh, how he wished for life to be different.  How he wanted Kathryn to remain his little girl forever, and to have Lucy by his side once more.

But there was a time for dreams, and a time to shelf them.  He knew that Kathryn would plan a party in time for her brothers – and from what she was saying, around the time of her and Jude’s first anniversary.  In the meantime, he had his own work to do.  There was still much to be done on his own dream project.


	13. 2032

It had been four months since Jeff had told his sons he’d flown out to Colorado Springs to witness the signing of Kathryn and Jude’s marriage certificate.  And none of them had actually spoken a word to either Jude or Sophia since.  As for Kathryn, she had not been able to get word home to her family since entering a war zone in the Middle East.  Not even to her new husband and sister-in-law.

Not one of the Tracy sons had been too impressed to hear they’d missed out on being at their sister’s wedding.  It didn’t matter to them that there was going to be another planned ceremony for the family once Kathryn returned Stateside when they had missed the first small ceremony at the beginning of September.

Jeff sighed to himself as he looked his three school-aged sons over.  It was the end of the winter break and he was just about to fly them back to School for the winter semester.  “Are any of you going to return Jude’s calls?”

“No,” Alan sulked.  The eleven-year-old folded his arms across his chest and looked away from his father and older brothers.  He was feeling more and more left out around his brothers, and having his sister marry without him had actually widened the gap between him and the rest of the family.  Kathryn had always been the one person he could count on to be honest with him, and he looked up to her as a mother figure.  She’d promised him that he’d be there when she got married.  To find out later that she’d gone ahead and married without him present had really thrown him for the loop.

“I don’t understand how Jude talked Kathryn into getting married without us,” Virgil said.  Out of all the brothers, he probably wasn’t the closest one to Kathryn.  It still stung when Jeff had mentioned Kathryn’s marriage and not one of his brothers (or himself) had been in attendance.  “Doesn’t she care about us anymore?”

“That’s as far from the truth as you can get, Virgil,” Jeff replied.  “Both Kathryn _and_ Jude wanted you there.”

“Then why didn’t she invite us?” Gordon asked.  The ginger-haired 16-year-old copied his only younger brother’s posture.

“I thought I explained that Gordon.  Kathryn was ordered to Israel for military duty as of September 4th.  You had started school that week and neither of them wanted you to miss the first week of school.”

“But why couldn’t they have set a date for when Kathryn returned from Israel?” Virgil put in.  The 17-year-old couldn’t really understand what the big rush was for the couple wanting to tie the knot before Kathryn shipped out.

Jeff closed his eyes and thought back to when he’d married Lucy.  Although he and Lucy had a little longer to plan their wedding, he could understand the urgency Jude and Kathryn had faced.  He faced the same fear of leaving a fiancée behind while he served in the Air Force.  But at least he and Lucy had eight months of marriage before he was called up to serve as an astronaut for the second moon landing mission.  Kathryn and Jude hadn’t been given the opportunity to settle into married life at all before she shipped out.  “When a person is in the Army, Virgil, there are limited opportunities to take up personal lives.  Most of Kathryn’s life since your mom died has been devoted to work.  Kathryn wasn’t sure how long she’d be in Israel for, and she didn’t really want to wait for the next year or more without some permanence to return to.”

“Is she pregnant?” Alan asked.

It was a fair question, Jeff thought, but he sure hoped that wasn’t the case.  It wasn’t as though the same question had crossed his mind when he first got the news that Kathryn and Jude had stepped up their plans to marry before she shipped out.  But he also remembered that no army personal would be shipped out to dangerous situations if they were pregnant.  A shudder made its way down his spine.  He was far too young to become a grandparent.  “No, Alan.  She is not.”  Kathryn was far too responsible to subject herself to that sort of scrutiny before heading to a warzone.  “We need to get going.  Please consider my request.  Jude is _not_ to blame for the current situation.  I understand where they are coming from, and I understand where you boys are coming from.  They were only married two days before Kathryn left for Tel Aviv.  Kathryn wants a party once she comes back and she said she’s promised a few brothers a dance at her wedding.”

“What do you mean Dad?”

“The way Jude’s explained it to me; the two of them were just getting the legal side of things out of the way before Kathryn shipped out.  They plan to have a ceremony and party with the family once she gets back.”

“So we still get to go to their wedding?” Gordon asked.  “Or would it be like a celebration of their wedding?”

Jeff smiled at the description.  “Yes, you’ll still get to celebrate their wedding with them.  They didn’t want you to miss that.”  It seemed, at last, all his sons understood.

Scott had been mad at his father when he first found out about the marriage, but when Jeff had sat him down and explained how he (Jeff) had married Lucy with the fear of being called up for duty did the 19-year-old understand.  He was sure if he’d been in the same situation as Kathryn, or his father, he’d choose to marry first and sort out the details later.

John, on the other hand, had refused to talk to Jeff _or_ Jude for nearly two months.  It wasn’t until Scott asked him which he would choose first: the woman of his dreams or the risk of losing that while doing his duty to his country.  Of course, John hadn’t needed to think about his answer.  He’d choose to marry first.  And when Scott mentioned that their sister was currently risking her life serving her country in a highly volatile situation overseas did John fully understand the situation.  There was the possibility that Kathryn might not come back from war alive.  And she hadn’t wanted to go without knowing she had someone waiting just for her.

It wasn’t like she’d broken her promise to them either.  They still had the wedding party to look forward to.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Gordon looked up at the leader board.  His jaw dropped when he saw his time flashing beside his name.  He’d just posted a time of 54.02 seconds in the 100 meter Butterfly race.  The closest time behind him was a good second behind him.  It had only been three weeks since he’d returned to school, and he was swimming competitively on a national level.  He had been competing with the Florida State Swimming team for the past year, and it was only in the past two months that he’d moved up to join the National Team.

He tore his eyes away from the board to look around the stands.  The 16-year-old knew that his father couldn’t make it to every competition he was in, but at least the man tried.  When the teen didn’t spot his father in the stands, his heart sank a little.  After the disappointment of missing out on Kathryn and Jude’s ‘original’ wedding ceremony (as that was what the Tracy brothers had agreed to call it), Gordon had thought Jeff would try to at least make it up to the boys.  Who he did spot, though, did surprise him.  Jude _had_ been in attendance.

The redhead made his way to the changing rooms to wait for his next race, wondering why his brother-in-law had come.

By four that afternoon, Gordon had competed in two other races with Olympic qualifying times.  He was pulled aside just as he was exiting the changing room the last time by his coach to say the Olympic selectors were looking very intently at him to represent USA at the Berlin Olympics coming up in August.

When he looked up to find out where Jude had gone, the older man had gone.  The teen was disappointed, but he knew that being on the National team meant that there was little time outside training for him to socialise.  Anyway, he was heading back to school the following day, so why did he care if he talked to Jude or not?

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn was finding life in Israel hard.  She’d been posted in Tel Aviv for almost six months without a word of when she could head back State side.  The last time she had been posted overseas, she didn’t mind as much, being single and not having a life outside her work or studies.

What a difference five years could make.  A lot had happened in that time too, the medic realised.  She’d seen what her biological father was like, and her relationship with her half-sister had started out on rocky footing (which in the six months before her deployment seemed to be growing into a friendship).  Jude and Sophia had breezed into her life – now _there_ was a man she could see herself growing old with.

In fact, that was probably what made this tour so much harder than the last one.  Kathryn looked down at the worn letter she had received just two weeks previously.  Mail runs to and from the States only came every so often, as the art of snail mail had virtually died in the 2020’s.  But every page of every written letter was precious to her, and she would hazard a guess, it was the same for her husband.  She got a wistful smile on her face as she thought about Jude.

They had only been married three days before she shipped out.  In every sense of the word, they were husband and wife, and yet, she still didn’t really feel like a bride.  It wouldn’t be until after they had celebrated with her family and a few of their friends from Fort Sam Houston in Texas would she actually feel like a bride.  Two days wasn’t enough for them to know what marriage was like – or for a honeymoon.  That would wait.

“Lieutenant Keith-Tracy!”

Kathryn snapped out of her daze and picked up her pack.  It seemed that the near future was looking remarkably like the immediate past.  Her unit was making its way into the heart of the combat zone to extract any wounded soldiers, and to offer relief to the other soldiers they came across.  Those were the standing orders the unit had while they served in the Middle East – to go in and extract soldiers where and when they could and get them out to safety.  Sometimes they saw action on the front lines, but their duty was to act as the reserves and medical personal.  It was the job of the other army units to advance the cause of the Israeli people.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Virgil looked around the hall from his perch at the baby grand at the gathered friends and family of his senior year.  For most of the school year, Kathryn had been stationed in the Middle East.  So he hadn’t really expected to see her at his high school graduation.  But it still hurt to know that she wouldn’t be there.

She’d managed to get to both Scott and John’s graduation.  The teen sighed and started playing.  He was the student who had been chosen to provide the musical entertainment for the graduation ceremony.

Again, he looked up to scan the crowds.  A smile spread across his face as he locked his gaze with his father.  Beside the man sat Andrew, Jude and Sophia.  Virgil had only been able to invite four people to his high school graduation.  Seeing as Kathryn couldn’t be there like she had been for his older brothers, the seventeen-year-old had extended the invitation to his brother-in-law and the guy’s sister.

The young pianist had long since forgiven his sister for having a shot-gun wedding and had grown to like the man who’d captured Kathryn’s heart.  And Sophia, as far as he could tell, enjoyed the attention of the Tracy’s whenever the families came together.

Now, the family were praying that Kathryn would arrive home safely, and soon.  Because Virgil knew he would never forgive his sister if she’d missed seeing Gordon represent the States at the Berlin Olympics.  And heaven knows what Gordon would do to her.  That was if Scott and John left anything of Kathryn for Gordon to prank.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

“When is Katie getting back?” Sophia asked.  It was the 3rd of July and sixteen-year-old was growing concerned for her brother and closest friend.

Jude looked up from his paper.  “I’m not sure.”  It had been ten months since Kathryn had first shipped out to the Middle East and those months seemed to have dragged by.  If he had known how difficult it would have been for him to just sit around waiting for news about his new bride, he doubted he would have agreed to Kathryn’s plan to sign the marriage certificate before she shipped out.  He couldn’t fathom how much patience, or peace, his mother must have had whenever his father had a tour overseas.

Sophia looked up from her book.  It was Jude’s week off from having night shifts.  “Do you think she’s okay?”

“We have to have faith in her, Soph.”

“Yeah, I guess.”  The teen looked back down at her work.  “Do you regret signing those documents before she left?”

Jude folded up the paper and reached for his cup of herbal tea.  He hadn’t been concentrating much on the paper anyway.  “No,” he said slowly.  “I don’t.”

“Why?”

“Curious much?” he tried to joke.  It fell flat.  “I don’t regret it.  I do regret the circumstances with Kate’s brothers, but what if we hadn’t had those three days and something happened to Kate while she’s overseas?  Or if something happens to me?”

“I don’t want to think about that, Jude.”

“Neither do I.  I just know I _would_ regret not taking the chance if something does happen.”

Sophia started clicking the biro she was holding.  When Jude simply said her name in exasperation, she looked down at the offending instrument before releasing it to the table.  “Do you know if Kate’ll be back for the Olympics?”

“Are you asking because you miss her or for Gordon’s sake?  Perhaps you’re asking for my sake?”

The teen looked up at her brother with her innocent brown gaze.  “And if I said for your sake?”

“Then I would just be glad if she could make it back before our first anniversary celebration.”

“And for mine?”

“Then I would tell you to mind your own business.  All you would need to worry about was if she comes back to us in one piece.”

“Unlike the last time you went away,” the teen snorted.  She still remembered the time when Jude had arranged for her to stay with Kathryn while he went out of town on business and had ended up playing nurse maid to a wounded Sergeant Kate.  Kathryn had been promoted to being a commissioned officer two months after that upon completion of doing her ISPA training.  “What about for Gordon?”

“I just hope she’ll be able to see one of the events he’s in, no matter where she is in the world.”  He sighed and thought about the threat he overheard Virgil telling his brothers.  “Otherwise, she’ll be in for a hard time with her brothers.”

“Would she get off if she happened to be in Berlin at the games?”

Brother and sister looked at each other before they looked toward the door.  Kathryn stood at the door with her bag placed just at the door.  Jude stood up in disbelief.  Sophia smiled widely at her sister-in-law and moved to the older woman’s side.

“Hi Katie!  We missed you.  A lot!” 

“I gathered that, Fi.  I missed you too.”  Kathryn returned the teen’s smile and gave the girl a brief hug.  With a flick of her head, the lieutenant indicated to her bag.  Sophia understood the subtle hint and decided to take the bag (and her book) to the bedroom.  Kathryn’s hazel gaze followed the teen as she left before it returned to the stock-still figure of Jude.  “Hi Jude.”  He finally moved and took a small step toward her.  She gave him a reassuring smile.  “I’m really here, JP.”

“Kay-see.”  He covered the distance between them within four long strides.  Reaching out, he traced the left side of her face before cupping it.  She reached up and cupped her hand around the back of his head and pulled him down to capture his lips with her own.  His left arm slipped behind her back and he pulled her close.  She pulled away slightly and winced.  He loosened his hold, but didn’t release her.  Frowning, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I injured my shoulder and gained a few bruises last week.”

“Bomb blast?”

“Nothing so serious.  Just got in the way of a car.”

Jude’s frown deepened.  “And why did you get in the way of a car?”

“I couldn’t very well let a little girl get killed on the road now could I?”  When she saw the questioning look in his eyes, she sighed.  “Yes, my left shoulder.  I hit the road a little too hard after pulling the girl to safety.  Her parents were thankful I was there.”

His hand ghosted across the injured area before moving down to settle on her waist.  “You’re really here,” he breathed.

She gave him a small little half-smile.  “Why do you insist on calling me Kay-see?”

“You never complained before.”

Kathryn pulled away from him and went to sit on the couch.  “I was just wondering.  You’ve never actually explained to me how you came up with that name.”

Jude came and sat down beside her.  He reached out to pull her into his arms, but she leaned away from his searching fingertips.  Sighing, he looked down at the mat in front of him.  “Is it always going to be this awkward between us?”

She shifted her attention to his sagging shoulders and bowed head.  “I’m sorry,” she said quietly.  “The last ten months have been really hard.”

“Yeah,” he returned just as quietly.  “Sometimes I wonder if we should have waited until you got back.”

“Are you regretting signing those papers before I left?”

He mulled over his answer.  It hadn’t been long since he had defended his choice to sign the papers to Sophia.  But now, having been asked the same question by Kathryn, he wasn’t as sure of his choice.  “I don’t regret asking you to marry me.”

“That’s not the same thing.”

“I know.  To be honest, there have been times when I doubted us.  But then, I remember thinking _‘What if we hadn’t, and she died before she came back?’_   I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t said yes and you never came home.”  He turned his attention up from the carpet and focused on her face.  “Kathryn, you literally swept into my life and turned it upside down.  I really don’t know what I’d do without you.”

She bit the corner of her lower lip as she took in his answer.  “There were times when I was in Tel Aviv when I thought it was a mistake.  But having the knowledge that there _was_ someone who _had_ decided to love me waiting for me when I came back kept me going.  Especially during some of the harder months.”

Jude stiffened.  “What do you mean?”

Kathryn couldn’t keep the tears from sliding down her face.  Jude knew that he was one of only a handful of people the woman let her guard down around, and for her to shed tears, whatever the situation was, it had to have been serious.  Her lower lip trembled.  Slowly, he reached out for her and she allowed him to pull her into his arms.  She clung to his shirt and cried.  All of her pent up tears from over the ten months she’d been in the Middle East were released.  He tucked her head in under his chin and rocked her back and forth.

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that until he heard her breathing even out.  Planting a kiss on her hair, he realised that she’d cried herself to sleep.  He heard a rustle at the hallway door, and he looked over to see Sophia looking at the floor, a little embarrassed at finding her brother and Kathryn curled up on the couch.

Jude snorted softly.  It wasn’t like the teen hadn’t found them in a more compromising position before – but having Sophia around while he was still dating Kathryn had been good.  It meant that the two of them didn’t rush things with their relationship, even though there had been times when _he’d_ definitely wanted to.  But he felt that he owed Sophia a chance of seeing how a lasting relationship was built – slowly over time with a lot of communication.  He wanted to do things right, for _both_ Kathryn and Sophia’s sakes.

“Is she alright?” Sophia asked softly.

“She’ll be fine,” Jude answered back.  He glanced toward the clock about their TV set.  It was nearing 10 pm.  “We’d best head to bed.”

“Yeah.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jude woke the following morning to the smell of fresh coffee brewing and the smell of burnt toast.  He rolled over to check the time.  It was a little after seven.  He flopped back on the bed and then realised that he was alone.  Had the night before been just a dream?

No.  He smiled when he saw that the sheets and pillows beside him were rumpled.  Throwing the covers off, the man stood and reached for his robe.  He was clinching it closed as he made his way into the small lounge and dining area.  Kathryn was sitting at the bench separating the kitchen from the rest of the area on her laptop.

“Good morning,” Jude said.  He made his way into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee.

Kathryn returned her cup to the bench after taking a sip from it.  “Morning.”

He moved to sit beside her.  “Did you sleep well?”

“I did.  It was the best sleep I’ve had in a long while.”  She reached over and covered his hand with her own.  “Can you give me a few days?”

“As long as I get tonight.”  He pulled her hand up to kiss it.  “Happy birthday.”

“It’s July?”

“Yes, it’s July.  July the forth.”

“It doesn’t seem like July yet.”

He smiled and stood up.  “Well, I’m glad you’re back for today.  We’ve got a lot more to celebrate today than just your 25th.”

“That makes me feel old,” she complained as he placed a kiss on her head.

“I’m even older,” he shot back with a smile.  He moved to organise his breakfast.  “What time did you get up?”

“5 am.”  She finished off her coffee.  He stood leaning on the fridge as he ate his breakfast.  “I hope I didn’t wake you when I got up.”

“You didn’t.  I’m working today, but I’ve got the next two days off.”

Kathryn moved from her computer and put her cup in the sink.  She turned around and leaned against it.  “I get my next orders in three days.”

Jude looked up from his cereal bowl.  “So what are your plans for today?”

“Not sure yet.  I’ll call Dad and see if my brothers are around.  I’ll also try and get in touch with Hannah.  Other than that, I was going to see if Sophia wanted to go shopping.”

“So you’ll be free for lunch?”

She smiled at him.  “I think I can manage that.”  Looking down at her watch, she did a mental calculation.  “If I want to call Dad, I should do it before their day really starts on the island.”

He returned her smile.  Pushing himself off the fridge, he said, “I should get going too.  I’ve got to be at the hospital at 8.”  He put his plate in the sink and rinsed it out.  Looking down at her, he ran the back of his fingers along her check.  “Love you, Kay-see.  See you at lunch.”  Jude pulled away and started to head toward the shower.

“Jude,” she said, stopping him in his tracks.  He turned back to her and gave her a curious look.  “I love you.”

“I’ll make sure I get a kiss before I go.”

She laughed and moved to her computer.  “Go.  Grab your shower.”  Pulling up her right knee, she opened up her video messenger and decided to call Hannah first.  The girl was still in Kansas, so it meant that the teen was only an hour ahead of Kathryn.  The two sisters talked for a while before they ran out of things to say so Kathryn ended the call.

Again, the woman looked at her watch.  She knew that the island was about the same as her own local time so someone on the island should be up.  When she did call the island, she didn’t have to wait long for someone answer on the other end.

_“Tracy Island.”_

“Hi Onaha.  Are you making sure Dad doesn’t have too much coffee?”

_“Miss Tracy!  It is good to see you.  And I couldn’t stop Mister Tracy drinking coffee even if I wanted to try.  Would you want to talk to your father?”_

The young woman smiled at the camera.  “I do, but you could just patch me through to the lounge area and get the family to assemble there.  I’m guessing breakfast would be served soon.”

Onaha smiled back at her.  _“You would be correct.  I could always hold it for the time being.  Just a moment.”_

It took all of a second for the video change from that of the kitchen on Tracy Island to the main living area on the Island.  Kathryn had a full view of what was happening in the immediate vicinity.  Jeff had his back to her reading some reports (and drinking a cup of coffee) while her middle brother looked as though he just managed to crawl out of bed.  Both Virgil and Jeff, it seemed, hadn’t seen her or had heard the video call come through.  She smiled to herself and wondered how she would get her family’s attention.  That was until she saw Gordon rub his eyes as he came into view.  He looked up from the living room door and spotted the phone on.  And his sister’s smiling face.

 _“Katie?”_ was all he said.  When that happened, both Jeff and Virgil stopped their respective activities and swung around to face the video screen.

Kathryn smiled at her second youngest brother as she looked over the shocked expressions of her father and middle brother.  “Good morning Copper-Top.  I hear congratulations are in order.”

_“Huh?”_

“You got on the swim team for the Olympics.”

_“How did you find out?”_

“Jude told me.  He said he saw you qualify back in February.”

A huge smile crossed the younger redhead’s face.  _“Yeah.  I guess he’s not too bad.  And I did.  I’m competing in seven events.”_

“That’s awesome.  I always said you’d make it all the way, didn’t I?”

 _“You did.”_   The younger teen’s face fell and he asked, _“Why didn’t you invite us to your first wedding?”_

Kathryn froze at the question.  Her mind went over what had happened the night before when Jude asked if she regretted signing the papers and her subsequent meltdown.  She saw Virgil move to stand beside their brother.  _“I want to know that too,”_ the 17-year-old added.

“Did Dad tell you that he adopted me when I was four?”

Both boys frowned, but nodded.  They had heard that Kathryn was their half-sister through Jeff, Andrew and Scott.  Now they were hearing it again from Kathryn herself.  “I didn’t really have a strong father figure during my teens – it wasn’t your fault, Dad.  You dealt with Mum’s death the only way you knew how.  But I made mistakes when trusting my heart to people.  I hid for so long because I didn’t want to get hurt again.  Like I got hurt when I went and found my biological father.”

 _“You found your biological father?”_ Virgil asked.  _“What’s he like?”_

“As Dad says, Virgil, Anthony is not a nice man.  He’s not my father.  Dad is.”

Gordon frowned.  _“Why did you get married then?”_

“I decided to marry Jude because he’s helped me through so much of that baggage that I’d be lost without him.  I didn’t want to go to war without knowing that there was someone outside the family that loved me.”

_“But you could have married once you get back.”_

“That’s what we’re going to do once we’ve come back from the Olympics.  _I_ wanted the marriage certificate signed before I went to Tel Aviv just in case.”

“Hope for the best, plan for the worst,” Jude put in just as he moved into the camera’s view.  His arm wrapped around his wife’s shoulders and gently squeezed.  Kathryn winced slightly and the man realised too late that he’d squeezed her injured shoulder.  He turned to face her.  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.  She looked up at him and planted a light kiss on his lips.

“I’ll see you later.”

He nodded and stole another small kiss.  “Love you.”  Turning back to the computer and the shocked expressions the three Tracy’s were giving them, Jude smiled.  “Good morning Jeff, Virgil and Gordon.  I’m off to work.”  He didn’t give them time to return his greetings as he’d already left Kathryn’s side.

Her eyes followed him out the door before she returned her attention to her family.  She raised her eyebrow at them.  “What?”

 _“How long have you been back?”_ Jeff asked.

“I got in last night.  I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to your graduation, Virg.”

Virgil shrugged.  _“I know you were overseas and you had no choice but to go.  And I realised in the last few weeks that it didn’t matter so much.  You would have been there for me if you could’ve.  Like you were always there when we were younger.”_

“I wish I could’ve been there though.”

_“You know what?  Jude was there, and he’s got it on tape.  And I want to be one of those people you trust.”_

Kathryn smiled.  She did trust her brothers, at least to some extent.  Although, she didn’t know how much of what she’d told Gordon or Virgil would be used against her in the future.  Looking at her second youngest brother, she asked, “Gordon?”

_“I can’t believe how much you trust us not to use that in pranks.”_

“You’re my brothers, and I love you.  And I owed you an explanation.  Now you have to prove to yourself that you can handle that.”

 _“Trust, once broken, is not so easy to gain back,”_ Jeff put in.  Both Virgil and Gordon realised the truth of their father’s statement and nodded.  They knew that it had taken years for Jeff and Kathryn to rebuild their relationship since Lucy died, and the two of them were still working on it.  The boys were about to head to the dining room table when Jeff frowned slightly at them.  _“Aren’t you forgetting something?”_ the man asked.  The teens looked at each other and shrugged.

_“Don’t think so.”_

Kathryn laughed.  “Don’t worry, Dad.  I’m like that today too.  I didn’t even pick up on people preparing for the celebrations tonight until Jude pointed out to me what the date was.”

 _“What’s today?”_ Gordon asked.

 _“Hi Katie!”_ came Alan’s voice.  He appeared behind their father.  _“Happy birthday!”_

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn and Jude spent the next month sorting out their wedding celebration and organising their trip to Berlin.  They could only get two weeks off in August, so they had to decide which week of events they would go to and where they would spend their week of ‘honeymoon’.  Sophia had suggested that they go to the last week of the games, go to wherever they were to celebrate the nuptials of Jude and Kathryn and she head back to the island for the last few weeks of the summer break.  The teen didn’t really want to spend the remainder of her break locked in her room while the couple settled into actually being a married couple.

Jude had looked horrified at the suggestion, while Kathryn blushed slightly.  But the lieutenant thought the idea had merit.  Both actually agreed to the suggestion, knowing that they had to focus on their relationship for a while before adding anyone else to the mix.

Kathryn rang her father and let him know that they had decided to celebrate their marriage the day after the Olympic Closing Ceremony, in Paris.  She also asked if he’d be willing to take Sophia back to the island for the last few weeks of the summer break.

Jeff agreed.

Within a week and a half of the phone call, the family met up in Berlin at the games.  Gordon represented USA well by gaining three medals – one of each.  The family had a lot to celebrate the next day, with the simple ceremony of Jude and Kathryn’s, the tour around the Eifel Tower and the mandatory wedding feast that night.  Kathryn made sure she danced with her five brothers, as well as her dad, before she and Jude retired to their suite around 10 that night.

Overall, the week with the family and celebration time did wonders for mending any bridges between Kathryn and her brothers.  She was looking forward to spending some time alone with Jude though.

Jude, also, was looking forward to the time alone with Kathryn.


	14. 2033

February was almost over and was looking quiet for Tracy Island after having a busy Christmas period.  Jeff was going over condo plans for when Kathryn and Jude eventually decided to move to the island.  That was, if they decided to move to the Pacific after she left the Army.  It would be another six months before she was honourably discharged, and he knew that he had to wait until after his daughter retired before being blessed with a grandchild.

He looked up as the klaxon Brains had just installed at the end of January blared.  That could only mean the software that the engineer had been working on to alert them to emergencies was working at finding the ones International Rescue _could_ respond to at the present point in time.  He filed the plans away and opened up the palm print to change his work office into Command and Control.  His eyes scanned over the information that filed across the computer screen.

Brains burst through the office door.  “Wh-what do w-we have?”

“Several bomb blasts at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio.  Let’s go.”

“Is-isn’t that wh-where K-Kat-thryn is?”

“I hope not.  She’s still stationed at Fort Carson.”

The two of them made their way into the lift that joined Jeff’s office to the hanger that housed Thunderbird Two.  “What do we have in the bird?”

“Wh-what do w-we n-need?”

“The Firefly and DOMO.”

“Fi-fire fl-fly is on bo-board alr-ready.  We m-may n-not need DOMO.”

“Better take it just to be on the safe side.”

“F.A.B.”

As the two of them ran to the green machine, Jeff prayed that whatever the situation was in Texas, he and Brains could make _some_ difference.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Scott sat up and turned the TV up.  He’d just completed his first semester at Oxford and was working on his second semester (having decided to do some of the papers he couldn’t do at Yale at Oxford).  At the same time, he’d been ‘commanded’ to make some connections for the USAF.  He was happy enough to carry out those orders.

But what had caught his attention hadn’t been his current studies.  It was the reports of what had just happened at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.

“Please,” he whispered under his breath.  Jeff had rung him at the start of the month, informing him that most of the rescue equipment had been completed.  International Rescue was ready to be rolled out, if only in a limited range.  Now, he was hoping that his father held up to that promise of using the equipment whenever there was a disaster.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn instantly lowered herself to the ground when the sound of the first bomb blast pierced the quite late winter’s day.  The unit she was with (she was in her last week of a eight week course conducting Combat Lifesaver training at Fort Sam) followed her example.  She stood and looked toward the source of the disturbance.  In the distance, she saw the faint hints of black smoke rising toward the grey sky.  That was when the second, third and fourth bombs went off.  Those bombs had been placed for maximum damage, close together.

“Oh, %&*#,” she hissed as she rose again after the fourth bomb went off.  “Follow me!” she commanded and started running toward the closest blast sight.  The ten new recruits didn’t question her, and fell into formation, keeping up with the quick pace she set.

A fifth blast nearly knocked them off their feet as the building ahead of them and to their left sent glass shattering out toward them.

She set her jaw.  “Let’s put those skills to the test, men.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Virgil was listening to the radio while making his way down to visit Jude and hopefully Kathryn for the weekend.  The third son of Jeff Tracy had decided to enrol in the Denver School of Advanced Technology for his further education instead of pursuing his hobbies of art and music.  He was on the outskirts of Colorado Springs when the news came across that Fort Sam had been bombed.  The teen frowned.  He hadn’t been sure if Kathryn was back this weekend or the next weekend.

It didn’t take him much longer to pull into the driveway at Kathryn and Jude’s place not far from Evans Army Community Hospital.  Jude was at the door, smiling.

Obviously, the man hadn’t been listening to the radio nor had the television on.

Virgil got out of the car.  “Has Kate gotten back from Fort Sam yet?”

“Next weekend.  Why?”

“Fort Sam’s just been bombed.”

 _“What?”_ Jude exclaimed.

Sophia came running from a neighbour’s house.  She was followed closely by her best friend on base – with whom she’d been spending some time with that morning.  “Jude!  It’s all over the news!  Fort Sam Houston!”

Jude turned on his heel and strode back in through his front door.  He picked up the remote for the television and flicked it on.  Shots from the air showing the damage at the Army Base was flooding the screen.  Virgil came in behind him and dumped his bag at the door.  His eyes, too, were fixed on the screen.

“Please tell me Katie’s not hurt,” Sophia managed to say, her eyes also on the shots from Texas.

Jude grabbed his cell phone.  Punching in Kathryn’s number, all he got was her answer phone.  “Kay-see, honey, ring back as soon as you get this message.”

The three of them (plus Sophia’s friend) drifted toward the couch and sat.  Virgil looked toward his brother-in-law and the girl that was becoming another close friend.  “I didn’t say hi yet.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jeff and Brains looked at each other and the billionaire gave his engineer a reassuring nod.  They had agreed that if either of them was communicating with anyone outside of International Rescue (as of yet, the organisation only involved them, Penelope, the Kyranos’ and Scott), Jeff would be the one to handle the negotiations.  Brains would operate their machinery – and if needed, ferry the wounded people to the nearest medical facility.

Surveying the damage below them, it was hard to determine where that would be seeing as the Medical Facility of Fort Sam Houston had been one of the buildings targeted.

“Take her down gently, Brains.  Near the main fires.  I’m going to get out there as soon as I can and see what we can do to help.”

“F.A.B.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

General Tyler warily gazed at the mammoth green craft and the man suited up walking toward him.  The aging man could tell that the unidentified man was someone who was used to giving and receiving orders by just the style of his walk.

“Excuse me, sir,” General Tyler said gruffly.  “This is a restricted area and I don’t have time to have you escort you off my base.”

“I have come to offer you the services of International Rescue,” Jeff shot back formally.  He didn’t want to alienate anyone, but he also wanted to make sure that the dream he’d had seven years ago actually had a chance to be used.  “We have access to the most cutting-edge technology available to mankind to help out in situations like the one you have right now.”

“At what cost?”

“No cost, sir.  We just want to help.”

The general narrowed his eyes.  “How and with what?”

“There is equipment within our ‘bird that can help put out the fires and we can help locate and rescue people trapped within any of the rubble sir.”

“Alright, but you report directly to me.  No getting in the way of my medics.”

Jeff nodded and moved over to where Brains had set up mobile control – for the moment, the two of them stored the mobile control within easy reach in Thunderbird Two.  Until they had more help to actually man the machines, they would only be using the green transport.  Communication between them would be on their own radio frequency (one that they were field testing to see if anyone could hack it) within their helmets.  Still, when talking to one another, others could still hear what was being said if they were close enough.  “Okay, Brains, unload the Firefly and head to the worst hit building.  I’ll see if I can get some of these pleasant army folk to follow after you and reach people trapped inside.”

“F.A.B. Commander.”

The billionaire smiled within his helmet.  Again, they agreed that to keep their organisation anonymous they would not use any names.  Rather, they’d go by designations.  But seeing as Brains was a nickname used within the immediate family of the Tracy’s, Hiram deemed the name safe to use while he was out on missions.  It wasn’t like he’d be going on every mission once International Rescue gained more operatives for the machines.

Anyway, Brains thought, he wasn’t as famous as his boss.  If anyone heard him mistakenly use Jeff’s given name while on a mission, then their anonymity would be busted.  Jeff was a very recognisable public figure.

General Tyler walked over to where Jeff was giving orders to Brains.  The IR commander turned just as Brains moved off to unload the Firefly.

“General Tyler, my man can help extinguish the flames, and it would take us some time for us to get in and find the injured people inside.  To better the chances of those trapped within the buildings of coming out alive, would I be able to direct some of the rescue workers to the locations of people trapped?”

“You can do that?”

“That’s what this equipment is for.”  Jeff wasn’t fully facing the general as his eyes scanned over the information being given to him at Mobile Control.  “Brains, I count nearly 150 people still caught in that building, as well as another 300 caught in the other buildings near us.”

_“F.A.B., mmm-mist-co-comman-mander.”_

Jeff turned back to the General.  “I am not here to undermine your authority.  I just want to help get as many of your people out of those buildings alive.  To do that, I am going to need _your_ help.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn and her unit had gone through the closest building to them with fire extinguishers and hoses to clear a path for them to get through and to see if anyone was trapped inside.  They didn’t find any seriously wounded in the building, thankfully.  The personal they had found only had minor lacerations and disorientation and needed help getting out.  Ordering her unit to pair off and check the remaining rooms in the building (and warning them to keep themselves from injuring themselves in the process); Kathryn went in search of any personal in the basement where they kept their records.

She got half way down the stairs and stopped in her tracks.  Most of the fire caused by the bomb were still burning.  The only thing that she was thankful for was that she could report the origin of this building’s demise had been in the basement – where most of their old, paper data was kept.

“Okay, as soon as you’ve cleared your areas, get out.  This building’s still burning,” Kathryn ordered through her radio.

She got affirmatives back from the five teams.  It didn’t take them too long to check over the building and exit.  The unit hadn’t found any stragglers, so they radioed in that the building was all clear other than the fire in the basement.  Kathryn started toward the next lot of buildings that needed to be searched.  Her unit followed her.

When General Tyler spotted her and her unit coming to the main disaster zone, he beckoned them over to the command tent.

“Any of you had real medic experience in the field?”

“Yes sir,” Kathryn answered.  He stopped in front of her and silently asked her where she’d gained her experience.  “Combat medic, sir.  Two tours: Serbia and Israel.”

Tyler nodded and moved down the line.  He looked each of the ten recruits over and came back to Kathryn.  “Any of these recruits unwilling to follow the commands of a civilian?”

“Not if I led them, sir.”

“Good.  Set your channel to 4.  Follow all instructions and get our men out of there.”

Kathryn nodded and turned to her unit.  “Kelsey, you’re with me.  The rest of you split into threes.  Watch each other’s backs.  Get each other to check your work if you’re unsure of any medical steps you need to take.  Our mission is to help get those people trapped in there out alive.”

She switched her radio over to channel 4 and looked over to where General Tyler was talking to a suited man wearing a helmet.  The man briefly glanced in her unit’s direction before returning his attention to the equipment in front of him.  He seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place him.

Her radio came to life. _“Lieutenant, who am I speaking with?”_

Kathryn momentarily closed her eyes.  The voice was definitely familiar, yet again, she couldn’t place it.  “Lieutenant Keith-Tracy sir.”

“ _Are you able to divide your unit into smaller units?_ ”

“Done, sir.  Privates Barkley, Small and Nelson will be your liaisons with their group.  I’ll be leading the fourth.”

_“Okay.  This is what I want you to do…”_

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

It took International Rescue three hours to actually get all the trapped personal out of the semi-demolished buildings with the help of other army personal.  Jeff took one last look over at where his daughter was busy working on the last evacuees to be brought out of the last building.  She had worked her unit hard and had gone above the call of duty to see to it that everyone made it out alive.

He didn’t know which way he should direct his feelings as he packed up the last of Mobile Control.  Either he was leaning toward fear knowing that his daughter (and any of his sons if they decided to join IR) willingly walked into danger to rescue and help others, or leaning towards pride to know that Kathryn was actually willing to head into danger for the sake of others.  Brains came out and helped him load the last of the equipment aboard Thunderbird Two.

General Tyler appeared just as Jeff was heading into Thunderbird Two for take-off.  “Thank you, sir.  We could not have gotten everyone out alive without your help.”

Jeff gave the balding man a brief nod.  “Thank your medic teams for helping us out to get those people out.”

“What do we call you?  _How_ do we call you if you’re needed again?”

The billionaire smiled in his helmet, even though the general couldn’t see.  “We are International Rescue.  And we’ll be listening.”  Jeff turned and made his way into the green machine.  He closed the hatch behind him and made his way to the cockpit.  “Okay, Brains.  Let’s head for home.”

Tyler watched the machine lift off before making his way across the makeshift medical field to where the seriously wounded men were being attended.  Kathryn briefly looked up when she heard Thunderbird Two leave but quickly returned to her work.  She didn’t want to lose one person on her watch.  And she didn’t want to think about the _real_ reason her dad had bought an island.

  **TB          TB           TB           TB           TB**

It was nearly five hours after IR had left that Kathryn had a chance of checking her phone.  She spotted several missed calls and messages from Jude.  There were a few texts from Scott, John, and Hannah, and a missed call from Gordon.  She frowned slightly when Virgil’s name wasn't among her brothers (as she figured Alan would be with Gordon).  Or that Jeff hadn’t called her either.

The first port of call was to ring Jude back straight away.

_“Paxton residence.”_

“Sophia.  It’s Kate.”

_“Katie!  You’re alive.”_

“ ‘Course I’m alive.  I’ve just been very busy.”

 _“Hang on, I’ll just flick on the video.”_   Within moments, Kathryn saw the relieved faces of Jude, Sophia and (surprisingly) Virgil.  _“We were worried.”_

“Sorry.  I haven’t had a chance to check my phone until now.  I can’t talk long…”

 _“You look like you’ve had a rough day,”_ Virgil put in.  _“I think they can handle it if you take the rest of the day off.”_

“That wouldn’t be such a bad idea Virg, if the attack was anywhere but the hospital and medic training buildings.  They need all hands on deck.”  She looked over her shoulder at the sound of her name being called out.  Turning back to her phone, she gave her family a tight smile.  “Look, I gotta go.  Someone needs me.  I just called to let you know I’m okay.  Can you let the rest of the family know?”

Jude nodded.  _“I love you.”_

“Love you too,” Kathryn returned and switched her phone off.  Sliding it into her pocket, she made her way quickly through the makeshift hospital to where she’d heard her name being called out.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

International Rescue made another seven rescue calls in the next three weeks before Jeff realised that if he and Brains responded to every callout they received, the two of them would suffer from burn out.  He made the decision that until they had more operatives qualified to operate the Thunderbirds; they had to limit the number of rescues to one or two rescues a week.  It really depended on the nature of the rescues they performed.  Of course, Jeff had other work to oversee and Brains had other engineering projects to complete too.  Thunderbird 1 needed completion and there were still a few communication systems in Thunderbird 5 to install.

And any rescue operations during the breaks had to be put on hold until Jeff sat his sons down and explained to them his dream.  That was one conversation that he hadn’t been looking forward to until he felt the time was right.  He hadn’t really known how to explain to his sons that one of the reasons they had moved to the South Pacific to a remote island was to give him the opportunity of building a rescue operation.

He sighed and looked over his paperwork once more.  Spring Break was in less than two weeks, at the end of April.  He promised himself that he’d explain his vision to the boys then, in one way or another.  Placing the latest file down, his eyes gazed over the last family portrait he had of his wife with their children.  Kathryn was nearing the end of her eight years in the army.  She’d been promoted to captain after the attack because of her dedication to her job.  If he remembered correctly, she worked for nearly 18 hours straight before she was talked into having a break, and only then did she take 5 hours off before getting stuck in again with work.  Scott was working hard at attaining his degree in engineering while spending his junior year at Oxford while still working for the Air Force.  John was nearly finished his electronics and communications degree (and would be finished over the summer) at Harvard.  Virgil was almost finished his first year doing computer science at the Denver School of Advanced Technology.  Gordon was in his final year at High School and was planning to join WASP once he graduates to study Oceanography.  Alan, his baby, was not yet a teenager.

It still hurt, looking at that picture, even though it had been nine years and three months since Lucy had been taken from them.  The pain within his heart was still as fresh as if the loss had happened only yesterday.

The billionaire sighed and turned back to his work.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Alan, Fermat and Gordon frowned as they watched the pink car land on Tracy Island.  They had been back on the island for four days already, and the three of them were looking forward to having Scott, John, Virgil and Sophia join them (Scott was flying his brothers and Sophia to the island from Boston).  Kathryn and Jude, however, couldn’t get any time off until she was discharged in July.

“Who’s in the pink car?” Alan asked.

“Why ask me?” Gordon shot back.  The twelve-year-old folded his arms and made a face at his closest brother. 

“Oh, good,” Jeff said from behind them.  “Penny’s here.”

“Who’s Penny?”  Gordon asked.

Jeff looked at his second youngest son with a glare just as Parker pulled up beside them in the pink Rolls Royce.  The man stepped forward and helped Lady Penelope out of the car.  Turning to his youngest two sons and Fermat, he introduced his British friend and her butler to the boys.

Gordon turned on the charm he inherited from his father.  Jeff scolded the 17-year-old, but Lady Penelope laughed it off and accepted the praise.  She’d said that it was nice for a change having attention from younger men (though from the look of the mischievous glint she caught in Gordon’s eyes, she would still class the teen as a ‘boy with a Peter Pan complex’) rather than from the older men she usually spent her time with.

The six of them heard the roar of approaching engines and Jeff said that his older sons would soon join them on the island.  Within an hour of getting each of his children (and guests) settled in their prospective rooms, Jeff called the boys to a family meeting in his office.

Scott, being the first to arrive, asked, “Is this about your dream, Dad?”

“We’ll wait until everyone arrives.”  Jeff sat at his desk just as his other four sons joined him and Scott.  Each of them took a spot on the two couches in the room.

“What’s this about?” John asked.

“Why did you want us all home now?” Virgil put in.

“I wanted to share with you a dream that I have had for seven years now.  And one of the reasons I had for us moving here.  I am sure you have all heard about International Rescue?”

“Is that the people that help out at disaster zones?” Alan asked.

Turning to his youngest son, Jeff simply said, “Yes.  Years ago, I thought ‘what if there was someone with equipment that could have saved Lucy?’  At the time, there was no one.  I had already built a company that made millions then, so I began asking ‘what if that someone was me?’”

John frowned and looked toward Scott, and then toward Virgil.  Scott smiled slightly.  The 21-year-old was able to fit the final pieces to the puzzle together.  Jeff had hired Brains to engineer the IR craft, and that was one of the main reasons they lived in relative isolation.

“I hired Brains to engineer what we now call the Thunderbirds.  The two of us created International Rescue and are the ones behind the recent rescues.  It is the reason Kyrano, Onaha and Tin Tin live with us – they were the first people we rescued before we’d even completed building the ‘birds.”

Each of the boys was silent for a long while before Scott broke the silence.  “Once I’m finished with my studies, I’m moving back to the Island to help out.  I’ll be done in another year.”

Jeff smiled at his firstborn.  “Thank you, Scott.”  Turning to his other sons, the man took in a deep breath.  “There is no pressure for you to join in this vision.  In fact, I am not going to ask you.  I want you to have a life outside this island.”

Ever the practical one, John asked, “How do you hear about the disasters?”

“At the moment, Brains has set up our communications hub to scan the major news networks for any signs of disasters and that gets filtered through this office.  Depending on what we need and if the two of us can cope on our own, we’ll respond.  Most of the time, we can.”

“Communications hub?”

“Thunderbird Five – currently in orbit and able to sustain life.”

John’s eyes widened at the prospect of an actual space station.  Although his major wasn’t astronomy, the night sky still held a strong hold over him.

“How do you get there?” Alan asked.

“Thunderbird 3 – our rocket.  I’ll have to take you on a complete tour of the ‘birds tomorrow.”

“Does Kathryn know about this?” Virgil asked.  “She’s a medic.  Wouldn’t that be helpful for a rescuer?”

Jeff turned to his middle born son.  “She found out in February.  For some reason, she recognised my voice.”

Gordon snorted.  “Did she tell you to find some way to disguise it?”  Scott laughed at the comment, and soon all five boys were laughing, just imagining _that_ conversation their father had with their sister.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn tried to get down to Florida for Gordon’s graduation, and could only manage to get the three days before the 17-year-old’s graduation off.  Sophia wanted so much to join her sister-in-law on the trip out to Florida but the girl had her final exam right in the middle of the trip.  Jude also had shifts at the hospital during the time so Kathryn had to make the trip on her own.

Jude could tell something was bothering his wife when she returned to Colorado Springs.

When Sophia asked to head out to a friend’s place for the night, the teen hadn’t gotten a reaction out of her brother.  She smiled, knowing that if she’d asked the same thing the same time last year, he would have exploded.  After a close call with drugs and making some dumb choices at a few parties, Sophia had grown up a lot.

It had also helped to have Kathryn sit down with her and explain a bit more of her own past – really, who would have known the sensible, reliable Sergeant Kate had a run in with the wrong crowd (twice) when she first started to look after her brothers?  And she had gone out with someone who was just using her, thinking that she could get them money for the drugs he’d wanted.  The worst of it, Sophia saw, was a faded scar on Kathryn’s stomach from a beating from a supposed ‘boyfriend’ who’d attacked her with glass from a broken bottle only three short months after her mother’s death.  When Kathryn had told her (and Jude) about the scar, it was the first time she’d related to anyone about what had happened.

Even after all the horror stories from Kathryn’s own teenage years (and then having the strength to go on and look after her brothers), the choice for all the parties and drugs was left up to Sophia.  Kathryn wouldn’t stop her from making the same mistakes as she did, but the older woman would definitely help her to get through the fall out afterward if it came to that.

Jude looked up at his sister as she was about to exit and called out, “Usual time?”

“Yeah, I’ll be back by 11.  If not, I’ll make sure I call – or get my friend’s mum to call earlier,” Sophia returned.  At least she knew her brother cared (and wanted what was best) for her.

The man looked at his wife and gave her a small smile.  Sophia had made a few mistakes since Kathryn had returned from Israel, but the teen was turning out rather well.  “You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah.  It’s just been tough dealing with a teenaged girl.”  Kathryn reached out and laced her fingers through his.  “She’s pretty fantastic, don’t you think?”

Jude smiled fully.  “That she is.  Thanks for your help the past couple of years.  I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“You’re welcome.  I’m going to say the same thing about Sophia as Dad said about me: even if nothing worked out between us, I still would have stuck around for her sake.”  He snorted and she laughed slightly.  “Well, maybe not.  Not with my track record anyway.”

“I’m just glad you’ve let us in.  Are you ever going to tell her the truth about that scar?”

“Who said I was lying about it?” she asked, perfectly straight-faced.  “That particular boy _did_ leave me with a scar – obtained by a shard of glass.”

“Yes – on your shoulder.  You retaliated by kicking him in the family jewels.”

Kathryn laughed that off, knowing that laughter was the best way to start any deep conversation the two of them were to have.  “The bastard deserved it.  There was no way I was going to give him money to fuel his drug addiction.  I _did_ learn something from my mother.  And it was the wake-up call I needed to get back to reality.”

“The fact that your brothers needed you just as much as you needed them?”

“Yep.  They were my safety net.”

“So what’s got you thinking now?”

“What are we going to do once my enlistment’s up?  Sophia’s really happy and settled into the school here.  I’d really hate to move her for her senior year at High School.”

Jude sat up and asked, “Why?  Do you have an offer to move to a different trauma centre?”

“Not exactly a trauma centre but yes, I have an offer.  For the both of us.  I told the person who made me the offer that I’d have to talk it over with you, and with Sophia, before giving them my final decision.”

“Where would that job offer take us?”

Kathryn looked down at the floor before gaining her courage to look back up at Jude.  “Tracy Island.”

The paediatrician frowned.  “I thought that your family lived on their own island and that most of your brothers were passed the stage of needing a paediatrician.”

“That’s not what Dad had in mind for us.  Yes, he’d like us to work with a new charitable trust he’s setting up in Peru, but he’d be employing us to help out with another project of his.”

“How long term are we talking about with this ‘project’?”

“That’s the tricky part.  It will be for as long as we’re willing to participate.  You remember how back in February, I helped out International Rescue at Fort Sam?”  At his nod, Kathryn continued, “Well, I recognised the commander’s voice.  And I worked out one of the reasons Dad moved the family to a remote island that no one really knows the location of.”

“Don’t tell me he built International Rescue?”  She nodded.  He snorted slightly.  “At least your family isn’t boring.  He wants to recruit us for the rescue work, doesn’t he?”  She nodded again.  He shifted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her.  “How long do you think he’ll leave the offer on the table?”

Kathryn relaxed into his arms.  “For as long as it takes for us to come to a decision.  It’s not just the two of us in the decision, but Sophia too.  We’ve got to decide what’s best for her too.”

“That’s a lot to consider.”

“At least Dad’s not pressuring us for an answer.”

Jude laughed.  “I’ll give him that.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Alan crossed his arms in anger just as Scott dropped him off for school.  It had been months since he’d received any quality time with Jeff and the 13-year-old had been looking forward to making the trip back to school with just his father.

That wasn’t going to happen when Jeff had asked Scott to deliver the boy back to the Roosevelt School of Learning for Boys a fortnight before summer was over.  And to Alan, having big brother Scott deliver him to school without a formal apology for either ignoring him or teasing him had driven the resentment of all Tracy men deeper.

It just wasn’t fair.  Once Scott, John, Virgil and now Gordon had left school and had started branching out into their own fields of interests had Alan feeling like he was just the ‘excess baggage.’  He felt like the little brother that they found no time for or an easy target for their teasing.

Fermat frowned and shrugged it off.  The twelve-year-old was an only child and didn’t really understand the distance that had grown between the Tracy siblings.  If he’d had any siblings of his own, he was sure he wouldn’t have let anything get in the way of having a close relationship between him and his brother or sister.  When the boy brought the situation up with Alan, the blond had snapped at him and said that it was no concern of the genius.  The younger boy sighed and decided to let Alan sort out the problem – if the Tracy was willing to admit that anything was the problem.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

John found that working full time for NASA was completely different from studying.  He’d completed his university papers at the end of August and graduated early September.  The only one from the family who’d made his graduation was Kathryn (who’d only just retired her commission four days before he graduated).  He smiled as he thought of those few days Kathryn had spent with him.  She’d made a point of visiting each and every one of her five brothers over the first three weeks since her ‘retirement’ from the army.  It had been good receiving the one on one time with her.  It had been years since she’d been able to do that.  In fact, the last time that anyone (other than him and Virgil) in the family had spent any quality time with Kathryn was before she entered the army in 2025.

But now, three months after he’d graduated, he was struggling to fit into the environment that he was working in.  He was the youngest graduate working for NASA being only 20 at his last birthday.  The closest person in age to him was a 24-year-old from Arkansas, and the two of them weren’t all that close.

He sat with his table computer and called Jude – of all his family members, John thought Jude would be the one to understand the situation the best.  After all, Jude had started his paediatrician practice at 21 – being one of the youngest doctors to graduate from the University of California-San Francisco.  Usually, if people wanted to be a qualified doctor, it took 8 long years of study – and the average age of entrance to Medical School was 19.  Jude had been 15 at the time when he entered Medical School and had finished his training within 6 years.  The man was very smart.  At least when it came to medicine.  He could be rather dense when it came to other things.

_“Paxton.”_

“Hi, Jude.”

_“Hey, spaceman.”_

John groaned at the name.  “Did you pick that up from my sister?”

Jude smiled through the camera.  _“And what if I did?”_

“Well, only family get to call me that.  How’s Katie doing?”

 _“And here I thought you were calling me.  Aren’t I family?”_   John returned Jude’s smile and nodded.  Jude’s grin grew further.  _“Anyway, in answer to your question, yes, Kate’s doing fine.  We all are.”_

“That’s good.  Hey, I have a question.  How did you manage to cope being the youngest doctor wherever you were working?”

_“The first year was the hardest for me, being employed at San Francisco General.  I was the youngest there by more than 8 years.  It was lonely.  But once I started working with the Army- I found that my age didn’t matter as long as I got the job done.  There were medical personnel working at Fort Sam that were my age.  I decided that how old I was didn’t matter, but what I knew and what I could bring to the team.”_

John took that response in.  “Thanks, Jude.  That helps a lot actually.  More mind over matter.”

_“That’s it exactly.”_

“So did Kathryn or Sophia tell you what Dad was up to?”

_“It’s hard not to know what’s happening on the Island, seeing as Dad gave us a proposition at Gordon’s graduation.”_

“And what did you say?”

_“Sophia didn’t really like the idea of moving schools for her senior year, so we’ve put off moving to the island and taking up a role in the Tracy Charitable Trust set up in Peru.  We’ll eventually move to take that position up.  In the meantime, we’re sticking to Colorado Springs and Evans Military Hospital.”_

John snorted.  “Yeah, I don’t think I would have liked the prospect of moving schools for my senior year either.  But it’s always nice having that option open to work for Dad.”

 _“It is.”_   Jude’s eyes darted to something above his phone’s screen.  _“I’ve got to go.  Patient requires my attention.  Talk to you later.”_

John said, “See you later,” just as the screen went black.  He took a deep breath and resolved to make the most of this first year out of University.  He’d agreed to take up a one-year contract with NASA before returning to the island and entering the services of his father.


	15. Spring and Summer, 2034

It was early April when Kathryn suspected that there was more going on than just her going down with the flu.  She’d been very busy in the months previous and hadn’t noticed that her monthly cycle had been late.  When she _did_ notice, she’d shrugged it off as being stressed and overloaded at work.  But then, when she started getting nauseated at work, at any given time, she began to think that there was something more to it than her being run down.

She didn’t want to get the hopes up of Jude – or of their extended family – if her suspicions turned out to be misplaced.  So she went and bought a pregnancy test on the way back from visiting Virgil for the weekend.  And she had a hard time believing the results of the first test when she pulled over for a pit stop halfway between Denver and Colorado Springs.  So she bought another test to double check her findings.

The results were the same both times – she was pregnant.  Doing a calculation in her head, she figured that she’d be about two months pregnant.  That was: if she’d discounted the light monthly cycle she had the previous month.

Taking a deep breath, Kathryn placed her hands on the steering wheel.  How would she broach the subject with Jude?  They hadn’t really talked a lot about having children of their own during the first two years of their marriage while she was still in the Army.  Both knew that while she was serving their country, it wasn’t wise to try and bring a child into the mix.  But now, since she’d been out for nearly seven months, they hadn’t raised the issue.  That didn’t mean Jude wouldn’t be happy about the news, Kathryn thought.

She always thought he’d make a great father.  Anyone with half a brain who saw Sophia could see what a great job he would do with his own kids.

Placing a hand over her stomach, she wondered what would become of the child she now carried.  Was it a boy, or would it be a girl?  A small smile played on her lips.  Either way, she didn’t care, as long as the child was healthy.

  **TB          TB           TB           TB           TB**

Gordon loved his work with WASP.  Having always been the Tracy water baby, being able to study Oceanography was right up his alley.  He’d forgone his summer vacation and started his studies and patrols within three weeks of completing his high school career.

The only thing that was unfortunate with him being stationed in Los Angeles was the fact his family was spread out all over the States.  Kathryn, Jude and Sophia were in Colorado Springs.  Virgil was in Denver, not far from their sister.  John was at NASA headquarters in DC while Scott was back in New Haven at Yale.  Alan was in Boston – he’d asked to change from the school all of the Tracy boys had gone to over the winter break to escape the pressure of being the youngest brother to four overachieving older brothers.  Jeff was in New York if he wasn’t on the island.

A startled gasp drew the ginger out of his musings and the teen’s eyes widened.  He, along with another WASP trainee, was headed straight for an outcrop of rock.  Gordon pulled the hydrofoil’s wheel hard right to avoid a collision and ended up hitting another submerged rock.  The hydrofoil sunk to the surface of the ocean and then there was another sickening crunch.  Gordon felt himself being thrown from the deck like a ragdoll.  He landed in the water face up and was tossed against the rocks just as he lost consciousness.  His teammate fared better, although she too ended up in the ocean away from their destroyed craft.  She was lucky in the sense that she wasn’t tossed against the rocks like Gordon, but she suffered a number of cuts and bruises, and who knows how many internal injuries.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jeff sat, staring at the whitewashed wall of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s waiting room.  He’d been called to Los Angeles ASAP by Gordon’s superior officer and been told about his second youngest son’s accident.  Running a hand over his face, the billionaire never thought that he’d spend his 47th birthday in a hospital, waiting for news of his water-loving son’s condition.

It had been eighteen hours since he’d first heard of his water-loving son’s condition and he still hadn’t received an update about what was happening.

He felt someone sit beside him.  Looking down, he saw that he was being handed a proper cup of coffee from a café and not just a hospital coffee.  His eyes travelled up to meet his brother-in-law’s solemn expression.

“Thanks,” Jeff managed to croak out as he took the coffee.

Andrew gave the man a small nod.  “Media’s camped out.”

“Really?”

“Wasn’t really sure what to say to them when I came in.  But then, they weren’t really stopping me because I’m not a Tracy.  Not sure what they’d do when the others arrive.”

“I told the boys there was no point in coming while they still had jobs to do.”

“And what if Gordon dies while they are in other parts of the country?  How would it make them feel to know that they weren’t here?”

Jeff took a sip of his coffee and returned to staring at the far wall.  He certainly didn’t want to think about his miracle child dying.  It had been bad enough knowing that Kathryn had been placing herself in danger for years being in the Army, but if he lost any of his connections with Lucy….  A shudder went down the billionaire’s spine.

“Anyway, Kathryn is on her way here,” Andrew put in.  “With Jude and Virgil.  John and Scott are both collecting Alan from school and will be here by tomorrow.”

The man took in a deep breath and released it.  And some of the tension that had been building ever since he’d gotten the first call – having all his children around him right now would be a relief.  He didn’t realise how much he actually needed them to get through the foreseeable future.  Turning to face Andrew fully, Jeff smiled.  “Thank you.”

“Mr. Tracy?”  One of Gordon’s doctors came striding toward them.  That could only mean that the 18-year-old was now out of surgery.  Jeff half stood before the doctor waved him to sit down again.  “The good news is that Gordon’s pulled through the surgery.  He’s about to be taken to ICU room 7.”

“How bad is it, Doctor?” Andrew asked.

Turning to the second man, Doctor Prescott asked, “Who are you?”

“This is my brother-in-law and Gordon’s uncle, Andrew Graham,” Jeff replied.  “How is my son?”

“We won’t know for sure until he wakes from his coma, but things are looking good.  Gordon received a blow to his lower spine and to the back of his head, as well as several other internal injuries.  We’ve repaired as much as we can.  The rest will be up to him.”

“May we see him?” Andrew asked.

“As soon as he’s transferred to ICU.  I can actually take you up to his room right now to wait if you like?”

“That would be much appreciated,” Jeff responded.  “My other children are on their way here.  Would you be able to have them escorted to ICU?”

“We’ll escort them to a waiting room close by, Mr. Tracy.  Now, if you come with me.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

When Andrew came out of ICU and to the waiting room, he found the remaining five Tracy children (plus Jude) waiting.  They were the only ones in the room.  Kathryn was resting against Jude, who’d wrapped his arms around his wife.  Alan was sitting on the other side of Kathryn.  Scott, John and Virgil were quietly talking together.  Jude was watching over the rest of them and shifted slightly as he heard someone enter the room.

“Mr. Graham,” he said softly, trying not to wake Kathryn.

“Uncle Andy, to this lot.”

“How is he?”

The family turned to Andrew as Jude asked that question.  They all wanted to know the answer to that question.  Andrew sighed and sat down next to Jude.  “Gordon’s in a medically induced coma.  He was hurt really bad and the doctors almost lost him a few times when they brought him in, but he’s stable now.”

“Can we go and see him?” Alan asked.

“You’re too young,” Scott immediately shot back.  The 22-year-old didn’t see the hurt that flashed across the 13-year-old’s face at that comment.

“Scott,” Kathryn said, not opening her eyes.  “If Alan wants to see Gordon, who are we to stop him?  He can, as long as Dad’s with him and the duty nurse says it’s okay.”  Alan flashed his sister a grateful smile.  It grew further as she added, “By the way, I asked.  Seeing as Alan asked first, Uncle Andy, can you take him to see Gord?”

Andrew nodded as Kathryn shifted and stretched.  Her short nap had not been long enough.

“Are you okay?” Jude asked.

“I’ll be fine.”  Turning to her brothers, she said, “As soon as you three have gone in and seen Gordon, we’ll need to find somewhere to stay.”

“Won’t you be going in to see him too?” John asked.

“I’ll come back later,” Kathryn refuted.  When Jude looked like he was going to protest, she turned on him and glared.  “Don’t argue, Jude.  I don’t want Alan to stay here all night and there’s no point all of us waiting here either.  Anyway, you know how ICU works.  Dad won’t be staying with Gordon much past 8:30.”

Jude shifted closer to her and ran his hand along her waist.  Her expression softened as she shifted unconsciously closer to him.  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“If I said I wasn’t?”

Scott looked at his brothers and pretended to gag.  John snorted slightly.  Virgil would have too if he hadn’t flown with the couple from Colorado.  There was something different about Kathryn from when she’d visited him two weeks earlier.  He frowned and the older two brothers noticed.

“What is it?” John asked.

“There’s something different about Kate.”

“From when?” Scott put in.  To the eldest brother, Kathryn had always been his role model while he was growing up and she’d been the one he’d go for, for advice.  But he hadn’t always been willing to be the one to listen to Kathryn when _she_ had problems.  In fact, apart from the occasional call about how to keep younger brothers in line or any ‘girl’ (admit it – ‘dating’) advice, Scott hadn’t gone to his sister for anything.  She’d been a great person to hear out his problems, but he didn’t know when the last time _he’d_ actually asked how she was doing.  So now, looking over to his sister and only older sibling, Scott admitted to himself that he wouldn’t be able to tell if anything was bugging her or not.

But when Virgil brought up his observations – as the 19-year-old had grown closer to their sister in the past 2 years – it made all three brothers stop and consider what the problem could be.

“Two weeks ago, when she came and spent a Saturday with me.”

“You don’t think she could be….?”  John trailed and a shudder went down his spine.  The 20-year-old did _not_ want to think about his sister’s love life.  Or his parents’.  Or any one of his brothers’.

“Nah,” all three Tracy sons said together.

Andrew had returned to the waiting room with Alan and the man coughed to catch the young adults’ attention.  “Who’s going to see Gordon now?”

Virgil stood.  “I will.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jeff refused to leave Gordon’s side until Kathryn took it upon herself to drag him out of ICU.  She entered the sterile room and swallowed hard at seeing her little brother hooked up to all the equipment that helped keep him alive.

“Dad, you do know that you can’t stay in here overnight?”

The man started and looked over his shoulder at her.  Out of all his children, he hadn’t expected her to hold herself back from the medical team looking after Gordon.  “I know,” he said as he tried to calm his racing heart.  “I just… I can’t help seeing him like he was when I first saw him.”

“In NICU.  I still remember how tiny he was that first day.”  She moved to his side and sank to the second chair placed there.  “Dad, he’ll pull through.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’m not going to let him go – like I didn’t let him and Alan go the day of the avalanche.”  Kathryn gave Jeff a shaky smile.  Jeff returned her smile with a small one of his own.  “Anyway, Jude and Uncle Andy have taken the boys to the boarding house across the road.  I’m going to join them soon.  Just so you know, the nurses are going to tell me whether or not you use the bed for ICU patient’s relatives when I come in tomorrow.  I don’t want to hear that you’ve propped yourself up in one of the waiting room chairs.”

“You are so much like your mother.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”  Kathryn shot back with a smile.  It was better than being compared to Anthony.  The woman stood up and reached out for Gordon’s hand.  “Little brother, you’re amazing.  You prove to the doctors how strong we Tracys are.  Don’t give up.  We’re all here for you.  See you tomorrow.  Dad’s not going to be far tonight if you really need him.  The rest of us are just a short phone call away.  You get better and show us those hazel eyes of Grams.”  Releasing her younger brother’s hand, Kathryn looked back at her father.  “Get some sleep Dad.  Gordon is in good hands and if anything happens, call us?”

Jeff nodded and watched as Kathryn left the room.  Just before she left the room, he called after her, “Thank you, Kathryn.”

She stopped and gave him a brief nod in return.  And then remembered that it was April 17 – and Jeff’s birthday.  Before losing her nerve, she said, “Happy birthday, Grandpa.”

  **TB          TB           TB           TB           TB**

Eight weeks after Gordon’s initial accident, the redhead Aquanaut was released from Cedars-Sinai under the watchful gaze of the nurses, Jeff, Kathryn and Jude.  Gordon had been told by Doctor Prescott (his main doctor) that it was certain he’d be paralysed from the waist down because of the injury to his back.  But when Kathryn and Alan both said that they believed their brother would walk again, the doctor had refuted them.  Yet having two of his family believe in him gave Gordon hope.

Jeff had spent his time divided between Los Angeles and the island.  Kathryn and Jude alternated their schedules in Colorado Springs so that one (or both) of them would also with Gordon most days.  The other family members were not as lucky to get that length of time off and had to return to their prospective studies (or jobs) within the first week of hearing about Gordon’s accident.  They did make daily calls to Jeff (in the beginning when Gordon wasn’t up to receiving calls) and then to Gordon to encourage their brother to get better.

So, when the teen was released from the hospital to Jeff’s care, he surprised all the nurses when he stopped Jeff from wheeling him out into the sunlight at the main entrance. 

Kathryn, who’d conspired with her brother, smiled and said, “Dad, help Gordon to stand.”

Jeff frowned but complied.  Gordon shakily gained his balance and shot his father a grateful smile.  “Can you walk beside me, but not hold me up?”

Finally, the billionaire understood.  His miracle son wanted to leave the hospital under his own power.  “Go for it, son.  I’m here if you need me.”

“I’ll always need you, Dad,” Gordon shot back, taking his first shaky step.  Jeff watched over him, and prepared himself to catch his son should the boy fall.  Jude moved to stand on the other side of his brother-in-law.

It was slow progress, but Gordon managed to take the ten steps that took him outside the doors of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.  Kathryn had the wheelchair waiting for him and he flopped back into it.

The proud smiles of his family and disbelieving faces of the medical staff sent his way was all the encouragement that Gordon needed.  He was definitely going to walk again – and from the recovery plan set out for him to complete, he was sure he would be swimming competitively again.  After all, most of it comprised of aqua therapy.

Jeff looked around the immediate area and realised that there was no press around.  Unlike every other time he’s left or entered the hospital.  Kathryn and Jude hadn’t been harassed the first week or two until a picture had leaked of them having dinner with him at the hospital.

“Dad, I made a deal with the press to keep away today.  Trish is in town and she’s going to join me this afternoon at a press conference here.”

“You know how much I don’t like you children in the media.”

Jude stepped in.  “We know, Dad.  But the press feels like they have a right to know about the lives of the rich and famous.  Face it; they want to get their hands on us just because we’re your children.  We just thought that agreeing to a press conference and getting them to ask their questions then instead of hounding us now was better for all involved.  Anyway, we might have misled them in saying that they could possibly see Gordon then as he was being released this afternoon.”

Gordon snorted.  “You got the press to leave us alone for a morning because they think I’m getting out later?”

Kathryn grinned.  “Sure thing, coppertop.  I didn’t think you’d want a photo of you in this hideous wheelchair splashed across the front page.”

“What’s wrong with the chair?” Gordon spluttered back.

“Nothing.  I guess you wouldn’t mind being remembered as the paralysed Tracy kid, then.”

Both Jeff and Jude laughed at the banter between the two redheads.  The father sighed and thought back on the last year – Kathryn definitely was closer to the family now since she and Jude had married.  And he couldn’t argue with the logic that his daughter and son-in-law had presented.  Having an organised press conference later in the afternoon with one Tracy showing up gave the others time to actually leave without being harassed.

By that time, he and Gordon would be halfway back to the island.  And the rest of the family would be joining them at the end of the month.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn reached for Jude’s hand and together, they stepped out of Cedars-Sinai once more.  Trish had met them in the foyer and had gone over the statement Jeff had left with the couple.  She had her own statement to make from Tracy Enterprises (and from her role as honoree aunt to the Tracy boys).  The three of them agreed that Jeff’s personal assistant would say her piece first before allowing Jude and Kathryn to take centre stage.

Trish stepped up to the microphones.  “Thank you all for coming.  As you all know, I am Trish de Choux.  I have a statement from Jefferson Tracy, and also one from Tracy Enterprises.  Mr. Tracy states that he is thankful for all the prayers and support people have been giving him and the family during the past few weeks as his son recovers here at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre.  It has been a trying time for the family, but Gordon is expected to make a full recovery surrounded by friends and family on their island home.”  She looked around her captive audience.  “On behalf of Tracy Enterprises, I would also like to thank those businesses who have shown their support and understanding toward the Tracy Family as there has been a lot of reshuffling going on in the past two months.  Mr. Tracy appreciates all the hard work that you have put in during this time as he spends time helping his son recover from his hydrofoil accident.  Thank you.  I am now going to hand over to Kathryn Paxton.”

Kathryn nervously clutched Jude’s hand and made her way to where Trish had been standing.  “Thank you, Trish.”  Looking at the press, the young woman smiled nervously.  “Not many of you are aware of who I am or what my connection is to the Tracy family.  It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that the first photos of my husband and me surfaced in connection to the family.  My name is Kathryn Paxton, and I am proud to claim Jefferson Tracy as my father.”  The photographers started snapping their cameras as the reporters started yelling out questions the woman couldn’t hear.  She held up her hand.  “Please.  Allow me to finish and then you may ask me questions.”  The reporters quietened down.  “Thank you.  Yes, Jeff Tracy is my father.  My husband and I are both in the medical profession and we are very pleased with the progress that Gordon has shown thus far.  We are helping with his rehabilitation and I believe that Gordon will prove to be a formidable opponent come the Summer Olympics in Vancouver.”  Pausing, she looked around the crowd again.  “Any questions?”

“Is Gordon paralysed?”

A smile crossed Kathryn’s face.  “Although the staff believed Gordon to be paralysed from the waist down, he managed to surprise them all.  My brother walked out of that hospital under his own steam this morning.”

“Aren’t you setting your hopes too high?  I mean, Summer Olympics in two years?”

“Gordon is a fighter and having the goal to go to the Olympics in two years is definitely achievable,” Kathryn shot back.

Jude made his way to stand beside his wife.  “Who are we to stop Gordon from having a high, but achievable goal?”

“And you are?”

“Jude Paxton.  Kathryn’s husband.”

“Why haven’t we heard of you before now?”

“Dad has done his best to shelter his children from the media.  After all, he wasn’t a national hero or a billionaire when he first met and married Lucille Tracy – Mom.  He didn’t become famous until Virgil or Gordon was born.  By then, I was already at school and my friends never really thought about it.  To them, my father was just that – my dad.  I was sheltered from all the media hype because Dad wasn’t famous until I was older.”

“What about the photos that came out around Mrs. Tracy’s funeral?”

She stiffened and Jude placed a hand on the small of her back.  “I really don’t remember seeing any of those photos.  No more questions.”  Turning to her husband, she quietly asked, “Can we get out of here?”  He nodded and led her off the platform.  Trish briefly moved to the microphones again and thanked the press before following the couple off and to their waiting car.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Sophia had been looking forward to spending her summer vacation on Tracy Island with her extended family.  The Tracys had accepted both her and her brother into their family after a bit of a rough start.  And it didn’t hurt knowing about the business that Jude and Kathryn were going to help out with.  Well, Jude for starters.  Kathryn wasn’t going to join IR until after she gave birth to her first child.

The two of them were lounging outside with Tin Tin.  Gordon was doing his exercises under the watchful gaze of Jude.  John, Scott and Virgil were also in the pool with the two of them.

It was the middle of July, just one month after Gordon had returned home and three months since his accident.  The whole family had returned to the island after an eventful year.  Kathryn and Jude had resigned from Evans Military Hospital out of Fort Carson (seeing as Sophia had just graduated from High School three weeks before).  Scott had graduated with honours from Yale (and Oxford) while John had resigned from NASA to work in the private sector.  Virgil decided in the last month of the semester to continue his studies by distance (as much as he possibly could).  Gordon was also going to pick up his studies at a later date – his current goal was to recover fully from his accident.

The only one of the family not staying on the island full time, it seemed, was Alan, who’d be returning to Boston Academy come September.  Of course, Sophia knew that she’d be heading to MIT come September, but she wasn’t one of ‘the boys’.  She sighed, wondering what the problem was with the youngest Tracy son.

“Not our place to interfere,” Kathryn returned, making the teen realise that she’d spoken aloud.

“What do you mean, Katie?”

“I’ve promised Dad to leave him to the parenting.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t talk to your brothers to see what the problem is.”

Kathryn lowered her book and looked to where the boys were just getting out of the pool.  For some reason, her attention was drawn to the side of the pool to a shady spot where the fifth brother was watching on.  Alan didn’t seem aware that he was being observed and had a sour look on his face.  Turning back to her sister-in-law, Kathryn sighed.  “You’d probably have more luck getting through to Alan than I would.  I don’t know what it’s like to be the youngest.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It so happens, I am the oldest in my family, Fi.  I don’t know what it’s like being a teenaged boy.”

“Neither do I if you hadn’t noticed.”

“Noticed what?” Jude asked, stepping into Kathryn’s sunny spot, shading her from the summer sun.  A towel was wrapped around his shoulders and his shorts were pooling water at his feet.

“We’re not boys,” his wife shot back sweetly.  Running a hand across her belly, she added, “Although, this one sure feels like it.  Help me up.  Your offspring decided my bladder’s a football.”

Sophia and Tin Tin both blushed while Jude did as requested before taking his wife’s vacated seat.  “That’s too much info, Kate,” the younger teen said.

“Well, just wait until you’re married and pregnant,” Kathryn complained.

Both girls blushed further while Jude laughed it off.  He gazed over to where Gordon was leaning heavily against the walking stick he used to get around.  The whole family had come together spectacularly after the boy’s accident, and Gordon was well on his way to a full recovery.  Smiling to himself, he thought back to the day they picked Gordon up from the hospital.  Even then, the ginger had not been able to walk more than ten steps unaided.  Now, though, he could spend anywhere between half an hour and an hour without being stuck in a wheelchair.  And that wasn’t including the hour aqua therapy time in the pool.  By the end of the summer, Gordon would probably be getting around without the chair.

Life certainly was looking up.  Especially when he didn’t have to worry about his wife heading into danger anytime soon.


	16. Fall and Winter 2034

Jeff ran his hand over his face.  He and Brains had just gotten back from getting John set up on Thunderbird Five.  It had been nice to have all of the family home for a change over the summer.  The last time that they’d really had any real time together as a family just relaxing would have been the first time Kathryn had actually been to the island six years before.

Kathryn and Gordon were due back on the island in half an hour if all went well – the two of them had agreed to take Alan and Fermat back to school for the fall semester as well as getting Sophia set up at MIT in Massachusetts.  They’d stopped over in Los Angeles because Gordon had a check-up at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, just to make sure that things were progressing well.  Jude would be arriving back from his trip to the Tracy Charitable Trust Centre in Peru around the same time.

He looked up from the Tracy Enterprises work he was doing.  John was calling.

“Hello, John.  How are you feeling?”

John smiled back at his father through the computer screen.  _“It’s all a bit surreal.  This place is amazing.  Are you sure about leaving me up here on my own?”_

“You have the qualifications, don’t you?”

_“You know I do, Dad.”_

“You’ll do fine.  Anyway, Brains spent three days with you just so that you can get settled up there.”

_“I’m actually glad he did because I wouldn’t have known which switch was what or how to monitor things with the sweet setup up here.  And all that summer reading and training that you made us do before you’d even think about letting us help you out.”_

Jeff returned the blond 21-year-old’s smile and sighed.  “For International Rescue to be successful, you all would have to know how to operate each and every piece of machinery we have – and to take orders without question.”

_“Yeah.  It is really important to work as a team.  Kathryn was good at actually pointing that out to us.”_

“Even though she can’t do much out in the field at the moment.”

John laughed at that.  _“Neither can Gordon.  I’m sure it won’t be long that Doc Paxton would clear Copper Top if the last check-up went well.”_

“I’ll let you know tonight once they get back.”

_“Sure Dad.  And thanks.”_

The billionaire frowned.  “For what?”

_“For letting me live my dream: having this place amongst the stars is totally awesome!”_

Jeff smiled proudly.  “Enjoy it, John.  Perhaps you could use your spare time to write one of those books you were always talking about.”

 _“How do you know about that?”_ the blond asked with a frown.

“Someone recently told me about it.”

John laughed.  _“Probably Katie.  See you later.”_

Jeff nodded and his computer screen went blank.  He sighed and leaned back against the chair.  Things seemed to be falling into place now.  Both Scott and Virgil were running simulations with the machines and Brains would most likely to be in his lab.  He wasn’t sure where the Kyranos would be.  Not a moment later, John was hailing him again, this time with a mission for International Rescue.

Instantly, Jeff sprang into action as the klaxon sounded throughout the villa.  It didn’t take long for Virgil, Scott, Tin Tin and Brains to come rushing into his office.

Briefly looking up, Jeff started issuing orders.  “Okay Tin Tin, you’ve got control here.  Coordinate with John.  Brains, you go with Scott in Thunderbird 1.  Get mobile control set up.  Virgil, you’re with me.  What are we needing, John?”

_“Anything to help out with an earthquake.  It’s centred in Northridge, Los Angeles.  Isn’t that where Uncle Andy is now?”_

Jeff felt the blood in his face drain.  Andrew had moved to Los Angeles nearly three years before, having been offered a better research job in the Californian city than where he’d been in Shawnee.  But Los Angeles was a big place and for all the billionaire knew; his brother-in-law could live in the southern suburbs of LA, not in Northridge.  “I honestly don’t know, John.  Keep me posted.”

On their way down to Thunderbird Two’s hanger bay, Virgil asked quietly, “What about Katie and Gordon?”

The father didn’t want to think about that – he couldn’t.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn and Gordon arrived back on the island to find only the Kyranos in residence.  Gordon was slightly disappointed that there was no one from the family was there so he could tell them that he’d been cleared for ‘light duty’.

“Slow down, Copper Top.  International Rescue must be out on a call or something.  You don’t want to go and overdo it now, do you?” Kathryn pulled him up short.

Gordon grinned sheepishly.  “Not really.  I don’t want to go back to the chair.”

“That’s why you’re only cleared for light duty until you build up your stamina again.  That means you can’t go charging into everything.”

“So what is ‘light duty’ in comparison to what I’ve been doing now?”

“Command and control, piloting Thunderbird Two – if Dad’ll let you, or manning Mobile control.  And you’ll probably have smother hen all over you if you do more than you should in the field.”

The younger auburn haired Tracy grinned.  “I’ll tell Scott you said that.”

Kathryn returned the grin.  “And he’d probably agree with me.  At least you’re cleared for passive duty.  I can’t even raise a hand to help around here without somebody kicking up a fuss.  I’m perfectly fine and capable of looking after myself.”

“Yes, but you should know that Dad wouldn’t let you,” the teen shot back.  “After all, you are the only female in the family.”

“Then Dad will just have to learn to mind his own business.  I don’t remember him being excessively overprotective of Mom when she was pregnant – not until she was pregnant with Alan.”  She sighed.  “And it’s not Dad’s job to look after me anymore.”

“No, that would be my job,” Jude said joining the brother and sister in the lounge room.  He moved to his wife’s side and gave her a quick peck on her lips.  For the moment, Gordon was forgotten about.  “When did you get back?”

“Twenty minutes ago.”

“Do you know where the Thunderbirds are?”

“No.  And I’m not going to find out,” she replied.

Gordon frowned slightly.  “You’re not even the slightest bit interested in what our family is doing?”

Kathryn turned from her husband and gave her brother a tight smile.  “I am,” she said calmly.  “But I’ve learnt in the past year and a half that there is a difference between a straightforward rescue and a volatile one.  My doctor told me to steer clear of unnecessary stress unless I want to bring on complications with my pregnancy.  I’d rather find out from the family what the Thunderbirds were called out for than finding out over the radio and needlessly worry about Dad and the boys.”  Looking back at Jude, she said, “I’m going to read my book for a while.  Call me when they get back?”

“Sure,” he returned, and then looked at his brother-in-law that shared his wife’s hair colour.  “You’d better get some rest as well.  I’m sure when the others get back there’ll be a lot of catching up to do.”  Before the teen could leave, Jude asked, “When did you leave LA?”

Gordon frowned as he thought about that.  “About 2 hours ago.  Why?”

Jude shrugged his unsettled feeling off.  “It’s nothing.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Andrew slowly opened his eyes and started another bout of coughing.  He wasn’t sure how long it had been since he felt the first tremors of the 7.2 earthquake.  Ever since the San Francisco earthquake in 1989, most of the building codes in California were lifted and existing buildings were strengthened.  Any new buildings since that quake were built to survive an earthquake.  It so happened that the building Andrew was in had been built prior to 1989 and any strengthening done to it had been worn down over the years.

He groaned as the rubble under him shifted slightly.  The dust swirled around him.  He heard another muffled groan coming from his left, but he couldn’t see who it was.  “Who’s there?” he called out.  Not for the first time, he wondered if help was going to come.

“Ted,” the weak voice came drifting back to him.  “I can’t feel my legs.”

Andrew coughed as the dust settled around him again.  He felt something metallic pool in his mouth and tilted his head to the side so he wouldn’t choke on his own blood.

“Are you okay?” Ted’s voice carried to him.

“No,” he weakly returned.

“Do you think anyone will be coming for us?”

“God, I hope so.”  Andrew closed his eyes and prayed desperately for someone to come quickly.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jeff shifted through the rubble, looking for any survivors.  According to Scott, who was manning Mobile Control, there were two life signs very close to his position.  Brains and Virgil were busy digging in the rubble of the same building not far from his current location.  “Can anyone hear me?” he called out.  A muffled groan reached his ears, and Jeff jerked his attention to the left.  The building he, Virgil and Brains were scouring had once been a research facility – one that the billionaire recognised as part of the company Andrew worked for.

That didn’t mean that his brother-in-law had been in the building when the earthquake had hit.  The billionaire couldn’t work out how a few people survived in the twisted wreck surrounding him.  Most of the people in the building they’d found thus far had been bodies.  Scott, though, informed them that there were two remaining life signs in the rubble.  The only remaining two people still alive that hadn’t been found and bought out from the dozen collapsed buildings.

“I’m here!”

Virgil and Brains both turned at the sound of the voice.  The three members of International Rescue honed into where they heard the voice coming from.  It took the three of them to uncover Ted Royster and to find that the man’s legs had been crushed underneath a support beam. 

Jeff looked up as the remains of the building shifted around them.  “We can’t stay in here for long.”  He looked back down at the man and smiled tightly as he saw Virgil switch into ‘medic’ mode.  “Is there anything you can do?”

“I don’t know, Commander.  What’s your name, sir?”

“Ted.  Ted Royster.”

Virgil slipped off his pack and dug around in it for his emergency first aid kit.  “Okay, Mr. Royster.  We’re going to get you out of here.  Just stay with me.”

“You two stay with Mr. Royster.  I’m going to look for the other man trapped in here,” Jeff said.  Without waiting for an affirmative, he radioed Scott.  “Mobile Control, we found one of the survivors, but Brains and Tango Two are going to need some medical help getting him out.  Send someone in.”

 _“F.A.B., Commander._ ”

Jeff weaved around another fallen support beam and made his way further into the ruined facility.  “Can anyone hear me?”  There was no response, and Jeff called out again.  Every so often, he stopped to listen.  He did hear Virgil and Brains talking to their patient, and saw flashlights making their way to their position.  Again, he called out, “Is anyone there?”  As he moved further into the structure, he kicked up dust from the collapse.  There was a faint coughing sound to his right as a result.  “Can you hear me?”

“Yes,” came a quiet reply.  By the sound of it, Jeff knew that whoever the voice belonged to was very weak, and most likely wouldn’t make it.  Jeff rounded one last broken desk and found his gaze connected with the last person he expected to find – but had been dreading finding ever since the first call had come in.  Andrew spluttered and coughed, breaking eye contact with the commander of International Rescue.

“Andrew,” Jeff whispered, breaking out of his stupor.  Moving to his brother-in-law’s side, he asked, “Are you…?”

“This was the reason you moved to an island?” Andrew asked between his laboured breathing.

“Excuse me?”

“Only you, Jeff,” the researcher said with a half-smile.  “Leave me.”

“I’ve got to get you out of here,” Jeff shot back.  “How long have you known?”

“Long enough.”  Andrew broke out into another bout of coughing.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jude sat on the edge of his shared bed.  Kathryn rolled over slightly and looked sleepily up at him.  The former Army Medic realised something was wrong when he didn’t lean over for a kiss as he normally would.

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing.”

She snorted slightly and shifted her weight.  “By the look of your face, it’s not just nothing.”

“Kay-see, Hon, IR personal are fine.  They did a great job helping out the emergency personal responders…”  He saw her raise an eyebrow when he trailed.  Taking a deep breath, he continued, “We are very fortunate that you and Gordon weren’t in LA when the earthquake hit.”

“There was an earthquake in LA?  When?”

“10:13 this morning.”

“That was 20 minutes after we left.”

“Gordon told me.  He was on the radios to the towers while you piloted.”  Jude reached over and brushed her fringe off her forehead.  “They’re on their way back.”

Kathryn frowned and pushed herself to sit up.  “What aren’t you telling me?”

“I tried calling Andy.”

She closed her eyes.  “He was caught in the quake, wasn’t he?”

“Dad wouldn’t say.  For all we know, Andy has been in a meeting somewhere and hasn’t had time to turn his phone on and check his messages.”

“Yeah, but with a quake hitting LA that needs IR?  That would have caught his attention.  After all, LA is Uncle Andy’s home now.  He would know about the disaster and would have contacted us if he could.”

Jude gave his wife a tight smile.  “I’m just speculating, Hon.”

She sighed.  “Let’s just hope he’s alive somewhere, just unable to contact us.”  Looking at him fully, Kathryn allowed herself a moment of weakness.  “Tell me he’s going to be fine.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her sideways into his lap.  “I hope so.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Tin Tin stopped just as she rounded the last corner of the beach.  Just as John had suggested, she found Kathryn staring out to the ocean and leaning against the steepest cliff face on the island.  The teen wondered if it was wise for her to interrupt the former Army medic.  Before she could back out, Kathryn turned her attention in her direction.

Patting the sand beside her, Kathryn returned to her previous position.  Tin Tin moved to sit by the older woman.

“Did John send you to find me?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m surprised he remembered this place.”

Tin Tin smiled slightly.  “Well, we all need somewhere to think.”

“No offence, Tin, but you’re not really the one I want to talk to right now.”

“I know.”  The girl looked out over the ocean and the twilight sky.  “If you could talk to the person you want to, what would you say?”

Kathryn took her lower lip between her teeth as she thought about the question.  She laid her hands across her belly and wished for the millionth time to actually hold her child – something she wouldn’t be able to do for another week.  Sighing, she began shifting the sand around with her feet.

Tin Tin realised that the older woman wasn’t about to answer her question.  Not that she really minded all that much.  After all, Kathryn hadn’t lived on the island all that long (it had only been four months since the Paxtons had arrived) and had yet to really get to know the Kyranos.  Especially when there were six younger siblings vying for their time, not to mention the work that went into setting up the charitable trust Jeff wanted in Peru.  Most of the interaction Kathryn and Jude had with the family had been around the other inhabitants of the island.  So Tin Tin hadn’t wanted to approach Kathryn with any ‘girly’ questions while in the presence of the Tracy ‘boys’.

The two of them sat in silence, for which Kathryn was grateful.  Nearly ten full minutes had passed before Tin Tin tentatively broke the silence.

“Katie?”

“Yeah?”

“Why haven’t you been talking to Mr. Tracy since the ‘quake?  It wasn’t his fault.”

Kathryn grimaced slightly and answered, “There’s a lot that we’re working on, Tin.  It’s different for you, being with your actual parents.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dad adopted me when I was four.  When Mom died, it felt like he abandoned me.  I made some mistakes back then and learned some bad habits.  Uncle Andy helped me through some of that, and then I found my biological father.  Dad wasn’t there for me when I probably needed him the most.  Uncle Andy and Jude were.”  Kathryn couldn’t bring herself to look at the teen – for the past five weeks she had been so strong for her family but now, her tears were close to the surface.  As soon as IR had returned from LA, Jeff had ordered Brains to go and collect John from Thunderbird 5.  Once the family was all together, he proceeded to tell his children how he’d found Andrew Graham trapped within the rubble of one quake-damaged building.  The man had died just as additional rescue workers had arrived on site.

Tin Tin looked to the sand.  “Sometimes I just don’t understand siblings.”

“Yeah,” Kathryn agreed slowly.  “Neither do I, and I have a lot of them.  Could you help me up?”  The younger girl nodded, and the two of them proceeded back to the villa.  There were a few times on the way to the main house where Tin Tin caught Kathryn grimacing, but each time the teen asked if anything was wrong, the older woman waved the concern off.  They were nearing the lower pool area with Tin Tin leading when Kathryn hissed in annoyance.  Looking back at the oldest Tracy sibling, the teen frowned.  Kathryn had a pained expression on her face, and yet, she was still trying to smile reassuringly.  “Can you see what Jude and your mom are doing?”

The teen’s eyes widened and she nodded.  Tin Tin turned and dashed away, leaving Kathryn alone on the pathway to the lower pool.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jeff knocked on the doorway to the infirmary and poked his head in through the doorway.  Jude looked over his shoulder and gave his father-in-law a smile.  “Come on in.”

Stepping into the room, the older man looked around after he noticed that Jude was alone.  “Where’s Kathryn?”

“Bathroom.”

“And…?” Jeff trailed with his question when he actually fixed his eyes on his son-in-law.  Nestled against the younger man’s chest was the not so small addition to the family.

“Dad, I’d like you to meet Joel.  Eight pounds four ounces, twenty-one inches long – born on the 10th of October at 8.43pm.  He’s not even two hours old yet.”  The new dad ran his hand along the back of the sleeping baby.  “I heard you get back an hour ago.  What kept you?”

“Onaha.  And I didn’t realise that you and Kathryn were down here until about twenty minutes ago.”

“Would you like to hold him?”

The grin that spread across Jeff’s face was all the answer Jude needed to hand over the baby to the proud grandfather.  It was the first time in five weeks that any emotion (other than the flashes of sadness Jude had caught) that had passed across the billionaire’s face.  Jeff expertly gathered the newborn into his arms even though it had been many years since he’d been around a baby.

Joel sleepily opened his eyes and caught sight of his grandfather.  Deeming the new man ‘safe’, the baby closed his eyes again and yawned.

“Hello, Joel.  I’m your Grandpa.”

Jude smiled and looked toward the door leading to the infirmary bathroom.  Kathryn was leaning against the doorframe, watching her dad with their son.  Jeff barely noticed his daughter had joined him until she spoke, right at his elbow.

“His full name is Joel Graham Paxton.  Joel after Jude’s father and Graham for Uncle Andy.”

“He’s perfect.”

Kathryn gave her father a tired smile.  “Isn’t he?”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Alan dreaded the return trip to the island from Boston.  It wasn’t like it had been his fault the science lab had exploded.  In fact, if he hadn’t been paying attention, the situation could’ve been much worse – Jeff Tracy wouldn’t currently be in the headmaster’s office withdrawing him from the school, but quite possibly planning another funeral.

The whole year had been a total bust, the young teen thought.  First, with Gordon’s accident earlier in the year, and then with Uncle Andy’s death not long after the start of school.  Now he was in trouble for something that wasn’t even his fault.  It didn’t help that Fermat wasn’t talking to him either.  The younger boy was just starting to feel settled at the new school – the two of them had only been at Boston’s Academy for Boys for not even two full semesters (having transferred to the school at the start of the year) and now they were looking at attending a new school after Christmas.

Alan folded his arms and huffed.  Jeff hadn’t really spent a lot of time with his youngest son in over a year and a half – not since Gordon had finished school.  So it had been a surprise for the 14-year-old to have his father come out and collect him from school.  It shouldn’t have been, but it was.

Jeff came out of the headmaster’s office with a glare on his face.  The blond scuffed his feet and followed after his father.

“It wasn’t my fault.”

The billionaire stopped and looked down at the boy that reminded him so much of his wife.  “We will discuss this at home.”  Alan rolled his eyes and decided to pay his father no attention.  As far as he was concerned, his father had already made up his mind about what had happened in the science lab.  “I don’t like your attitude, young man.”

“Oh, really?  I hadn’t noticed.”

“I’ve got enough of that attitude from Kathryn.  We’ll deal with this on the island.”

“Sure.  Whatever.”

The billionaire closed his eyes and took in a calming breath.  Really, this wasn’t what he was asking for for Thanksgiving.  It really wasn’t what he had planned for _last_ year.  He’d come so close to losing two sons over the course of the year, and now Alan was giving him attitude.  Hadn’t Kathryn given him enough over the past 10 years?

Opening his eyes again, Jeff followed Alan out to the rental car.  Brains was helping Fermat load the last of the boys’ gear into the car.  The conversation he was going to have with Alan wasn’t going to be easy, by the dark looks being sent his way by his youngest son.  It was going to be a long Christmas break.


	17. 2035

“Jude, I told you, I’m staying out of this.”

Jude turned from the balcony doorway he was standing at and looked fully at his wife of nearly three years.  Kathryn had placed her book down on their bed and gave him a hard stare.  It wasn’t like they hadn’t had this particular conversation before, the last time that Alan had been home for an extended period of time.  But like then, Kathryn was standing her ground – she wasn’t going to get involved with the day to day discipline of her brothers like she had once done.

But both of them could see that Alan was drifting further and further away from the family.  Jeff had bought Alan home from Boston three weeks early around Thanksgiving because of a lab fire, and the man had deemed the school unsafe for his youngest son.  The youngest Tracy was due to return stateside to Wharton Academy for Boys in Massachusetts in three days.  So the family had been together for near on a month and a half (minus Sophia who thought it was better for her to find a part-time job where she was) and Alan had been constantly picked on by his older brothers.

And it wasn’t just that the youngest Tracy was being picked on – Scott, Virgil and Gordon were really starting to bully their youngest brother without even realising it.  The thing that irked Jude and Kathryn was the fact Jeff wasn’t doing anything to prevent the endless teasing.

“Then what is the point of being part of this family?”

Kathryn got a sly grin on her face.  “I said I was going to stay out of it, and let Dad handle being the parent.”

“That grin tells me you’ve got a plan.”

“I think it’s been far too long since I’ve lived at home that my brothers have forgotten who the first prankster was in the family.”

Jude grinned.  “You?” he asked.

“No.  Mom.”

The man moved to lie on the bed beside his wife.  He reached up and brushed a stray ginger lock behind her ear.  “Do you think Alan would appreciate us stepping in and playing a few pranks on your brothers?”

“As long as he doesn’t get blamed for what we do,” she returned in all seriousness.  “But I’m not as close to him as I once was.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Alan crept away from his sister and brother-in-law’s room with a slight grin on his face.  He’d escaped from the main house again, after another round of teasing directed his way by his earthbound brothers.  When Jude and Kathryn first heard of the teasing (and had witnessed the effect it had on Alan), they had offered him a safe haven within their villa.  It was a small room just off their living area they’d converted into a study area for either one of them to use.  But they’d willingly given up the space for the blond teen’s use after his recent return to the island.

For that, the 14-year-old was grateful.  At least, the sister he hardly knew was trying to look out for him like she had done when they were younger.  Not like the three brothers that he’d once been so close to and had looked up to.

Sometimes, Alan really hated being the youngest son of Jeff Tracy.  He hated the age gap between him and Gordon.  None of the others really understood what it was like, although sometimes they tried to sympathise.  Scott was tied up with being ‘the protector’ of all the younger boys when it wasn’t really his role.  John was usually off stargazing, lost in his own world.  Virgil tried to be all ‘health freak’ on both him and Gordon.  And Gordon – the brother that he’d been so close to at one point – was trying to fit in so hard with the IR team that somewhere along the way forgot how to be a brother first.

That’s all Alan really wanted.  He wanted his brothers to stop trying to fill the roles that weren’t theirs to fill and actually get back to the role he wanted them to fill.

“They on your case again?”

The teen looked toward the door of his sanctuary and nodded.  Kathryn stood in the door with Joel.  He stood up and held out his hands to take his nephew.  The baby always seemed to cheer him up.  “How do you manage?”

“By taking one day at a time.  You know how Dad and I fight.”

Alan snorted.  “The whole family does.”

“You’re so much like me, that we’re bound to buck heads with Dad over things.  Like the fact that it seems like Dad’s got these impossibly high expectations for us that we can’t possibly live up to them.  Sometimes I think he forgets we’re human.”

“Then why does he treat me like I’ll break?”

Kathryn led Alan out into the living area and sat down on the couch.  “It’s because you’re so much like Mom.  You look a lot like her, and you’ve got a lot of her personality too.  And Dad’s always going to see the little boy that clung to me after I told him Mom was gone.”

“You told Dad?”

She swallowed.  Until Alan had voiced his question, she hadn’t realised her brothers didn’t know who had told their father that Lucy was gone.  It was the first time in eleven years that she’d brought that up.  “How much do you remember of that day?”

“Bits and pieces.  I wish I could remember Mom more than just hearing the odd story.”

“Dad had taken Scott, John and Virgil up the mountain for a snowboarding lesson, or something.  I’m not really sure what they were doing.  Mom, Gordon, you and me were making snowmen and playing near our cabin.  We’d just finished making our snowman and you were getting tired when Mom decided to take a picture of us.  The three of us were posing with the snowman and then we heard the rumble coming down the mountain.”

“I remember that.”

“It’s not a sound we’re likely to forget.  You were so scared.  So was Gordon.  Both of you buried your faces into my sides, somehow thinking I’d protect you from the sound, and from what came next.”  Kathryn couldn’t bring herself to look at her youngest brother or her son.  “It took all my strength to hold onto both of you, and I almost lost you.  The snow pushed us down the mountain a little, but we were protected by our cabin.  Mom… Mom wasn’t.  Something hit Gordon in the head – I don’t remember if it was a passing tree branch or a rock, but he lost consciousness and pulled us down the mountain side.”

“But you didn’t let us go.”

She shook her head.  “Not until the snow had stopped moving.  I took you both to the cabin and made sure Gordon woke up before going out to find Mom.”

“You left us alone in the cabin?”

“I was a scared sixteen-year-old who’d seen Mom get buried,” Kathryn shot back.  “What was I supposed to do?”

Jude felt his jaw drop from where he was listening in the living area.  Alan looked up at his sister from where he was sitting with Joel.  Neither of them had really given much thought to the day that had taken Lucille Tracy from the world, or to Kathryn’s memory of it.

“Did you find her?” Alan asked quietly.

Kathryn bit her lower lip.  “It took me two hours.  I dug her out of the snow and dragged her back to the cabin.  I went in and I didn’t even know what to say to you and Gordon.  Dad, Scott, John and Virgil came in the main entrance half an hour later, so they didn’t see Mom lying at the back door.  I was trying to get you to calm down and make sure that Gordon stayed conscious, and all Dad could do was ask where Mom was.  I held onto you and told him she was gone.”  She blinked and briefly glanced at her youngest brother with her son.  Not one to give in to her emotions around anyone but her husband, Kathryn turned on her heel and made her way out of the villa.

Alan wanted to follow her – it was the first time anyone had talked to him about the day his mother had died but found that Jude had taken her place at the door to his sanctuary.

“Did you know all that?” the teen asked accusingly.

“No, but I’ve known Kathryn a long time now and I know she doesn’t really like to talk about things that bother her.  She doesn’t always open up to me.”

Looking down at the baby in his arms, Alan huffed.  “So what’s the point of that all?”

“Because she’s trying to do what Andy said the day she graduated from high school.  She wants to be able to tell you about the wonderful woman that was your mother.”

“But why tell me about the day Mom died?”

The older man gave his brother-in-law a sad smile.  “It’s the same reason why I will always remember the day my little sister was born.  We older siblings never forget the day when our moms died.  Now, do you mind us taking a little action on your behalf?  You see, Kathryn and I want to protect the babies of our family, and we take it very seriously if _any_ one harms our baby brother.  That includes getting revenge on older siblings who pick on little brothers for no good reason.”

Alan wiped his eyes – he hadn’t realised he’d been crying from hearing about how his mother had died – and gave his brother-in-law a wide smile.  “What do you have in mind?”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Revenge, Alan thought, was best served cold.  Kathryn and Jude were perfect for setting up some of the more intricate parts of the plan they came up with – they could set things up for when Alan returned from Wharton’s but sprung before the middle brothers could safely accuse their youngest brother for pulling pranks.  That was if the plan actually worked and nothing went wrong.  Alan was hoping that his brothers would get the point and lay off his back instead of tearing him down with their harsh words.

He looked around the dining room table at lunch.  He’d only been back for Spring Break for all of half an hour and already it felt like he was getting pushed aside again.  Jeff had blown off coming to collect the 14-year-old and had instead sent Penelope and Parker in her pink Thunderbird.  Gordon, Scott and Virgil were gushing about their latest escapade and weren’t really all that interested in what Alan had to offer to the conversation.

It was like they didn’t care about what he had to say, or what he knew about the ‘birds.  Again, the teen looked around the table and then back down at his plate.  “I’m not really hungry.  Can I be excused?”

Jeff looked over at his youngest offspring and mentally wondered what was troubling the blond teen.  The man nodded and Alan excused himself and Fermat.  In all honesty, the billionaire wasn’t sure how to connect to the boy that reminded him so much of his late wife.  The past few years had been hard, and there had been a number of rough patches where he wasn’t sure the family was going to pull through, but they had.  He recalled the fond memories of taking his boys places during the holidays and wondered when the last time he’d taken time off to do anything with them.

The past two years, since International Rescue had really taken off, he found that he was spending less time off the island – and it hadn’t really mattered so much since his boys had all returned home to take up positions within International Rescue.  All but Alan.

Scott shuddered and gasped, breaking the billionaire from his thoughts.  The 22-year-old was covered in gunge of some sort.  Virgil snorted at the shocked expression on his older brother’s face while Gordon outright laughed.  That was until they too got hit with the same gunge that Scott had gotten.

Jeff was surprised at first, as were the rest of the table.  The gunge had specifically targeted Scott, Virgil and Gordon (and had been shot from a small pistol situated directly above them).  Once the man had gotten over his initial shock, he realised that it had been a prank set up and designed by a clever mind – a mind, he thought to himself, that hadn’t played a practical joke in the eleven years since Lucille’s death.  He kept his smile to himself as he told his sons to go get cleaned up.

“Alan’s going to get it for this,” Gordon muttered as he placed his cutlery down.  The young auburn haired man wasn’t used to getting the jump upon.

Jeff let his smile shine through for a moment before letting it fade.  “That wasn’t Alan.”

Scott wiped the gunge off his face.  “The only possibility is our kid brother.  Who’s going to be in a world of hurt if he doesn’t own up to this.”

“Leave him,” Jeff interrupted sternly.  “He’s not the only possibility.”

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Alan pulled out his skimmer and stared aimlessly out over the Pacific Ocean.  He really hated being the youngest son of billionaire Jeff Tracy.  He’d tried, once again, to explain something to his father.  The billionaire had blown him off.  Again.  Sometimes, the teen wished it was Kathryn who was raising him, not their father.  She’d always tried to make time for her brothers, and actually listened to them when they had something to say.  She actually treated him like the young man he was – not just a kid brother to look out for.

Yeah, Kathryn sometimes did say things to him that made him feel like he was a small child that couldn’t make his own decisions, but that was rare now that she and Jude were living on Tracy Island.  Looking down at the skimmer he’d built, Alan sighed and loaded one of the flat stones he had into the firing mechanism.

He could still hear the angry words Jeff flung at him from the night before.  Yes, the teen knew he shouldn’t have been in Thunderbird 1 silo, and shouldn’t have touched the instruments, but why couldn’t his dad just have listened?  What had made the man shut down every time he was around?

Perhaps Kathryn was right when she told him over the Christmas period that the two of them were the strongest links their father had to their mother.  Kathryn was because she was the only girl in the family since Lucy had died – and from what his sister had said, he had the strongest physical resemblance to their mother.  Sure, John also had inherited his blond hair and blue eyes from their mother, but his hair was platinum blond, not golden blond like Alan’s – and Lucy’s.

He craned his head up when he heard Thunderbird Three take off.  There must have been a call out or something.  Too bad he couldn’t really bring himself to care much about what his brothers or father were off to.  It seemed the world meant more to his family than he did.

Turning his attention back to the Pacific, Alan released the stone he held in his skimmer.  He wished that he could’ve gone with Kathryn, Jude and Joel for the Spring Break, instead of coming to the island – they, at least, would’ve spent proper quality time with him instead of belittling him like Scott, Virgil and Gordon had.  He’d only been home half an hour when they’d started in on him – just like the last time he was home.

Anywhere was better than being stuck somewhere where he felt like he wasn’t wanted.

He turned just as Tin Tin joined him – and then Fermat came running from the direction of the house, telling them that Thunderbird 5 had been hit.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn sank to the bed, wondering why she couldn’t settle.  Jude stirred in the bed and reached out his arm to run his hand along her exposed back.

“You okay?” he mumbled drowsily.

Looking over her shoulder, she gave her husband a slight smile.  “I’m not sure.  I just got this feeling that something’s happening with the family and we’re not there to help out.”

Jude propped himself up on one elbow and looked her over.  “You can always ring home if you’re that worried.”  He reached for her and pulled her to lie down.  “I’m sure they’re out on some mission most probably.”

She sighed as she shifted under the covers.  Placing her head on his bare chest, she nodded slightly.  “Maybe.”

He planted a kiss on her head.  “Get some sleep, Kay-see.  They’ll be fine.”  Neither of them really settled well, though.  Kathryn kept shifting restlessly, and once she’d bought up the thought something might be up with her brothers, a sense of dread settled in the pit of Jude’s stomach.  They both gave up trying to sleep after an hour and a half – she kept on shifting and he had always been a light sleeper that she kept him awake.  “Ring them, Kay-see,” he commanded, handing her his cell phone.

She took the phone from him and dialled the Island.  No one answered.  With a frown on her face, she rang England and Lady Penelope.

The aristocrat answered on the third ring.  And informed the couple she was on final approach to the island to see what was happening.  Kathryn paled slightly and shot out of bed.

“What?” Jude asked as her warmth left his side.

“Something’s happened.  I just know it.  No one picked up at the island and Penny’s on her way there with Parker.”

“Couldn’t they have just been called out somewhere?”

“Even Onaha and Kyrano?  Alan and Fermat are home too – it's the first day of Spring Break, remember?”

Jude’s eyebrows shot up.  He’d nearly forgotten that the two teens were on break from school, just as Sophia had been – that’s why they’d taken the time to visit the States right then with Joel.  If the kids were home and no one was answering, something was definitely happening.  Something that didn’t bode well for the family.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Jeff felt himself fading.  There were so many things that he was regretting – and the thing was, he couldn’t get out of his mind the last actual conversation he had with Alan.  Not the brief one he had with all of his sons gathered around, but the one from the previous night.  He’d been mad at the blond 14-year-old for being in Thunderbird 1 silo and for not really applying himself at school.  Yet, now, the billionaire realised the boy was acting out all because the father wasn’t giving him the attention he deserved.  What had he been doing the past few years to let the time slip away from him?

All he could remember hearing was Alan’s accusing quite voice as the teen left his office the night before.  “Let me.”

Oh, god.  He was going to die without making it right with the last precious gift Lucy had given him.  Lucy would tear him to shreds if she were still alive – she would have hated to see how he’d let slip the last few years with Alan.  He’d been so focused on setting up International Rescue that he had forgotten how to be a father first.  It hadn’t been obvious until the argument yesterday and now been trapped on Thunderbird 5 (losing what little atmosphere they had) with his four older boys that things had gotten so out of hand.

**TB           TB           TB           TB           TB**

Kathryn, Jude and Sophia flew to London – it had taken them nearly an hour to pack up the hotel they were staying at and get to the airport.  By then, Lady Penelope had rung them back and told them they were on their way to London – someone named the Hood had hijacked the Thunderbirds and had almost destroyed Thunderbird 5 with Jeff and the boys inside.

So the three of them (with Joel) were heading to London to see what help they could offer the Thunderbirds.  They arrived just as Thunderbird 4 surfaced in the Thames.  Not far from the park they’d arrived at, Kathryn spotted the rest of the Thunderbirds celebrating the success of Alan, Fermat and Tin Tin.  She looked at her husband and sister-in-law.  Joel was in a baby sling, attached to Jude.  She reached out and ghosted her hand over her son’s head and gave Jude a lingering look.  He gave her a brief nod.

She gave them a slight smile and ran off to help her brothers.  By the look of it, John was injured badly – most probably from the explosion on Thunderbird 5.

Jeff was about to leave his sons with the clean-up of the rescue zone when he saw Kathryn join them.  He breathed a deep sigh of relief.  At last, he could reassure himself that his family was safe.  There was no way that Jude would have allowed Kathryn to travel to London alone.

“Put your helmets on,” she whispered.  “Can I help you, sirs?  I am a medic,” she added louder.  Each of her brothers realised that though they were in their uniforms, they were still exposing their secret without wearing their helmets – after all, the Tracy family were famous.  They each pressed a button at the edge of their collars and instantly their faces were obscured by their visors.

Jeff pointed to John first.  “Check him over, please.  Then could you see to the passengers aboard the monorail carriage?”

“Yes, sir.”  Kathryn wasn’t about to ask where her father was going or didn’t even realise that Alan had joined them before they disappeared again.  She helped John aboard Thunderbird 2 and into the med bay while Virgil, Scott and Gordon set about cleaning up the rest of the site.  “Could you hold still please?” she asked her brother.

John, once in the safety of Thunderbird 2, removed his helmet.  “That hurts.”

“It is far better than the alternative,” she shot back, her voice was hard and cool.  “Lie down.”

The 21-year-old did as she commanded, and he whimpered.  “I don’t wanna sleep, Katie.”  Her face softened a little.  He pulled away from her slightly.  “Ow.  That hurt.”

“Sorry.  From what I can tell, you’ve got a number of cracked ribs and I needed to get some pain meds into you.  I’m also going to give you a sedative.  The best thing for you is for sleep.”  She prepped another needle from her supply on Thunderbird 2.  “This is going to hurt.”

It wasn’t long before she was making her way off the green machine and toward the rest of the Thunderbirds.  Scott turned to her and gave her a brief nod.  According to the regulations that Jeff had gone over with them, Kathryn was a civilian who wasn’t supposed to know who the Thunderbirds’ were.

“How is he?” Gordon asked from behind her.

“Asleep.  I gave him a sedative.  Is there anything else I can help you out with sirs?”

“Yes, Tango 2 could use your help with the survival victims.”

Kathryn nodded and made her way to her middle brother.  In truth, though, she just wanted to make sure that each and every one of her family was safe and alive.

  **TB          TB           TB           TB           TB**

When they arrived home, not long after the three Thunderbird crafts had returned, Jude and Kathryn made their way down to the infirmary.  It was there that they found the entire family gathered.  John was still out from the sedative she’d given him in London, and the rest of them were on oxygen.

“What happened?” Jude asked.

Jeff removed the mask from his face and looked fully at his daughter.  “The Hood somehow found out where our base of operations is and wanted to draw us away, so he fired a missile at Thunderbird 5.  John sent us a mayday.  We responded – there is no way I want to bury another family member.”

“Was there any indication that it was a trap?” Jude asked, after glancing at his wife.  He realised that she’d shut down as her way of dealing with what was going on.

“No, not at first.  It wasn’t until we tried getting off Thunderbird 5 that we realised something more was going on,” Scott put in.

“When that first transmission came through, I was so scared that I’d lose more than my life this morning,” Jeff admitted.  “But more than that, I was afraid of what would happen to Alan without us.”

Alan huffed.  Kathryn shifted a little.  Jude frowned.

“So was that why you were hovering over Sprout on the flight back?” Gordon asked with a smirk.

“Unless something happened in the bank that Dad’s not telling us,” Kathryn snarled.  Jude reached out and placed a hand on her arm reassuringly.  She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

Jeff looked over his two ginger-haired children.  He hadn’t really been on the receiving end of Kathryn’s anger for a long while – not really since she’d joined the army ten years ago.  To hear it directed at him once again, he wondered what he’d done to deserve it this time around.  Gordon, though, had been his miracle child that had been the first to raise doubts about Alan’s ability to pull through for his family.

“Alan almost died – twice – at the hands of the Hood in the Bank of London.”

“The psycho was happy Dad was there to watch,” Alan put in quietly.  “Tin Tin fought with the Hood, and we won.  Can we just forget about it now?”

Kathryn looked over to her youngest brother.  “Yeah, we can.”  She turned on the rest of her family.  “As long as all of you realise that Alan is NOT to be picked on – none of you realise how difficult it is for him to be separated from you lot and having to worry about what’s going on at home.  Or whether you’ll come home safely from a mission or not.  You fought for your lives today, and Alan was in the middle of that.  But most of the time, he’s away at school.”

“Katie…” Alan groaned.  “Do we have to do this now?”

“No, we don’t.  But I figure they need to realise you’re not a kid anymore.  You’re going to make mistakes, but you also want to be able to feel wanted _and needed_ at home too.  Right now, I don’t think our family knows that.”

Gordon looked at his feet and swallowed hard.  He’d been the first to ridicule Alan when they were trapped on the space station, and he hadn’t been much support to his kid brother over the past few years.  Virgil couldn’t bring himself to look at their sister, knowing that she was right.  When was the last time he’d spent quality time with Alan, instead of throwing insults at the teen?  Scott had the decency to blush – but he thought he was above all that.  It wasn’t like he’d deliberately left Alan out of things, or actually thrown insults at the kid.  When Jude stared at him, the 22-year-old looked to the floor.

“None of you are above pushing Alan aside when it suits you.  Alan’s been trying to help and get your attention the only way he knows how.  Through the Thunderbrids.  Ever since you started leaving school and then joining this organisation, it’s like he’s become your second or third priority.  I thought International Rescue was more than just an organisation.  I thought it was about family first,” Jude said.  “Otherwise Kathryn and I have no reason to be here.  It’s not like we can’t find work elsewhere.”

Jeff looked up from looking at John’s face with a horrified expression on his face.  Had it really gotten so bad between the family that International Rescue was causing rifts?

“There is still time, Dad,” Alan finally said.

“Just make sure that it never happens again,” Kathryn growled.

Jeff nodded.  Scott, Virgil and Gordon followed suit.  Perhaps all wasn’t lost yet.  Just maybe, just maybe, the events of this particular spring break would stay with the family and they could truly become a family again.

Kathryn looked toward Jude and leaned into him.  Perhaps, one day, the family would be whole again, and having almost lost everything was the catalyst for bringing them together again, stronger than ever.

Just maybe.


	18. Epilogue – April 2036

Jude made his way up to the main villa mid-morning – neither he nor Kathryn had gotten much sleep the night before, after having accepted Jeff’s offer to look after Joel for the night.  He smiled to himself.  Who was he to deny Jeff (and Joel) a chance for a sleepover, especially when the former turned 49 the following morning?

The last year hadn’t been easy, on any of the Tracys.  It had been especially tough for Jeff and Alan to find common ground to rebuild their relationship.  But just as Alan said, it wasn’t too late.  After all, all the teen wanted was positive quality time with each and every one of his brothers and father.  Slowly, but gradually, each Tracy realised this and found time outside their duties to Tracy Enterprises and International Rescue to spend time with their youngest.

It wasn’t perfect by far, but Alan truly was becoming his own man now, not just a kid to be overlooked.  And the relationship between Kathryn and her father was also growing stronger – especially when the two of them had announced they were expanding the family.

A slight smile graced Jude’s features as he entered the main living area.  Jeff was reading a book to Joel.  Within easy reach was a cup of black coffee – most likely Jeff’s second (or third) cup of the morning.  Joel would have had his grandpa out of bed by the break of dawn.

“Morning Dad.”

Jeff looked up from the page in greeting before returning his attention to where he was up to.  For some reason, Jude wished he’d brought his camera over.  The picture before him was something that he was still getting used to – Jeff had hardly read stories to Joel before the previous Spring Break (although the man had tried to snag his grandson as often as he could), but now the billionaire seemed like he couldn’t get enough.  Joel didn’t even seem to notice his father’s presence until Jeff had let the toddler down to retrieve another book.

“Dada!”

“Hey, buddy!  Were you good for Grandpa?”  The 18-month-old nodded.  Jude smiled at his son.  “That’s good.  Happy birthday, Dad.”

Jeff stood up and gave his son-in-law a tired smile.  Really, the man couldn’t have asked for a better son-in-law than Jude Paxton.  “How’s Kathryn?”

“Tired.  She said she’d be bringing over your birthday present later.  I just wanted to see how you coped looking after our little terror.  We really needed that last night.”

The 49-year-old shrugged, reminding Jude of one of the other ‘boys’ living on the island.  Especially Gordon.  “I enjoyed it.  And I think Joel did too.  Wouldn’t mind doing occasionally to give you and Kathryn a break.”

“Thanks.  Are any of the others up yet?”

Jeff frowned.  “I did see Alan earlier, and John was around here somewhere just a few minutes ago.  I don’t think Scott, Virgil or Gordon are up yet.”

“Who would have thought Brains and Fermat’s favourite holiday destination was a space station?” Jude joked.

“It’s a genius’s dream come true,” Alan shot back, walking into the main living area with Tin Tin.  The two teens had started out tentatively dating over the Christmas vacation and had grown closer over the past semester of school.  “At least, that’s what Fermat said after Christmas.  Good for them, though.  Gives the two of them memories they’ll always cherish.”

Scott wandered down from the living quarters, running a hand through his wet hair.  “Morning Dad, Sprout.”

“Don’t call me sprout!” Alan protested.

“Why not?” Virgil asked, coming in after Gordon and Scott.  “After all, that’s what you’re doing.  Seems to me you’ve sprouted up overnight.”

“Not that that isn’t a good thing,” John added with a smile.  “By the looks of things, you’re going to be the tallest of us, Al.”

Alan’s face lit up slightly.  “You really think so?”

“Just maybe, Alan,” Jeff said.  “After all, my dad wasn’t short.”

The nine of them made themselves comfortable within the living area – Alan and Tin Tin taking the two beanbags in the corner (they were joined by Joel who thought the noise of the beanbags was interesting) while the others sat in various chairs around the room.  The boys all handed over presents to their father when Jeff froze.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Kathryn?” he asked.

“Kay-see said to start without her,” Jude answered.  He was the only one who was watching the hallway he knew Kathryn would come through – there were two different ways for the couple to make their way to the main villa from their smaller villa: the way that Jude had taken that morning (and was visible from the main living area of the main house) and a back entrance that came up through the infirmary.  Kathryn had mentioned she’d bring their present for her father that way so it wouldn’t ruin the surprise.

It took Jeff a good ten minutes to open the presents given to him from his five sons and one grandson.  The man was getting concerned that Kathryn hadn’t shown up yet and didn’t catch Jude’s slight nod toward the doorway where Kathryn was standing.  Thankfully, Jeff had his back to the door where Kathryn was, and the five Tracy sons hadn’t really noticed Kathryn standing behind their father.

“Happy birthday, Dad,” Kathryn said, coming into the main area.  Jeff turned toward her voice and gave her a smile.  “Sorry we couldn’t wrap up your present this year.”

Suddenly, Jeff found himself with arms fill of a newborn.  “What?  When?”

Kathryn found herself smiling softly.  “Born 7lb 2oz this morning at 2:17 am.”

Jeff’s eyes were drawn to the bundle held securely in his arms.  He gently ran his fingers across the soft cheek of his youngest grandchild.  It was only after a few minutes that it registered the blanket the baby was wrapped in was pale pink.  Again, he raised his disbelieving eyes toward his son-in-law and daughter.  “A girl?”

“Her name is Grace Lucille Paxton.  After her grandmothers.”

Jeff couldn’t keep the tears out of his eyes as he turned his attention back to his granddaughter.  He had a feeling that things were finally, _finally_ , beginning to resemble normal.  It had been years since he’d felt things were on the right track, but looking at the child that held a link to his wife, he felt whole again.  “Welcome to the world, beautiful.”  Looking around his family again, he realised that all he needed to get through the hard times were the people now gathered around him.  The next year, he decided, was going to be the best yet.  After all, who said life had to end when someone dies?  It wasn’t like Lucille had actually left him when he could see her shining out of each and every one of their children.

And now, shining through the new life he held in his arms.

**_The END_ **


End file.
